Vingegaard set for Vuelta victory after powering to penultimate stage win
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FILE PHOTO: Cycling - Vuelta a Espana - Stage 18 - Valladolid to Valladolid - Valladolid, Spain - September 11, 2025 Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Jonas Vingegaard celebrates on the -podium wearing the red jersey after stage 18 REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo
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Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard set himself up to win the 2025 Vuelta a Espana when he increased his overall lead with victory on Saturday's penultimate stage, leaving his closest rival Joao Almeida in his wake in the final kilometre.
After almost three weeks of racing, the Vuelta, and stage 20's 165.6-km ride from Robledo de Chavela, all came down to the last gruelling kilometres to the summit finish at Bola del Mundo, and Visma-Lease a Bike rider Vingegaard went for glory rather than simply defending his red jersey.
Portugal's Almeida (UAE Team Emirates XRG) began the day 44 seconds behind the Dane but did not have the legs to challenge and trailed in fifth on the stage, 22 seconds behind Vingegaard, who holds a one minute 16 second lead going into Sunday's final stage to Madrid.
Vingegaard's teammate, and 2023 winner, Sepp Kuss was second on the stage, 11 seconds behind the winner, with Australian Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA Hansgrohe) in third. REUTERS
