The sprinter Jasper Philipsen wins the opening stage of the 80th Vuelta on a detour to Italy. The Belgian wins the bunch sprint in Novara and is the first rider to wear the red jersey.
23.08.2025, 18:52
23.08.2025, 19:30
SDA
Philipsen had already won the first stage of this year's Tour de France, but had to retire two days later after a heavy crash. He suffered a broken collarbone and a fractured rib. "Winning is always great. I was disappointed that I had to drop out of the Tour. The victory today is compensation for that," commented Philipsen on his success.
Vingegaard as top favorite
Top favorite Jonas Vingegaard finished the first stage in the peloton. The two-time Tour de France champion is hoping for a happy ending to this season after once again losing out to his rival Tadej Pogacar in the Tour of France. The Slovenian will not be at the start of the Vuelta, nor will last year's winner Primoz Roglic, double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and Germany's Tour bronze medallist Florian Lipowitz.
Sunday will be the first acid test for the contenders for overall victory. At the end of the 160 km, the riders will climb up to Limone Piemonte, a second category climb. The Vuelta route has it all. There are ten mountain finishes, including the notorious Angliru with a gradient of up to 23.5 percent, before the finale in Madrid on September 14.
