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2025 Vuelta a Espana Route Reveal
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| whitejersey |
Posted on 16-07-2025 14:24
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Classics Specialist
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2025 Vuelta a Espana Route Reveal:
It’s time to reveal the initial route Grand Tour route of the 2025 MG season, it’s time to put our sights onto what this year’s Vuelta will look like. Last year Egan Bernal took his maiden GT victory ahead of Lachlan Morton by just fourteen seconds after 21 gruelling days on the Spanish roads where the two titans went blow for blow on many stages. One of the key difference makers last year was the 8th stage which was a 40km flat ITT where the Colombian put more than 1 minute and 20 seconds into the Aussie, but should they clash again this year there won’t be a flat 40km ITT to decide things as one of the key differences from last year’s route is that we’re only going to be seeing ten flat ITT kms. There will however this year be MTT just like last year that could still make a huge difference in the end.
On first glance, for the sprinters there will also be fewer shots for glory, something that Fernando Gaviria, who recently found himself jobless, will most likely be saddened by after his dominant run last year.
Without further ado let’s get into the breakdown of the route!
The riders will find themselves lined up for a tough first stage of the Vuelta with a 160km stage that will take them from Mijas to Malaga in the Southern part of the country. While this is still a sprint stage with a completely flat run in at the end there are quite a few obstacles in the middle of the stage that might tire out some of the heavier sprinters.
Stage two might be the first stage that can provide us with indications in regards to how the favourites’ legs are feeling as it’s a 202km stage with a challenging punchy finish that should remove the sprinters completely from the equation and if a rider like Demare was still riding at the top of the PT this would be a stage that was made for him.
The third stage will a traditional transport stage across 175km where it gets a bit tricky towards the end as the finish will take place on a small hill that might be primed for some late attack action or a slightly reduced bunch sprint.
Towards the back end of week 1 we will finally start to see the action ramp up as the fourth stage from Cordoba to Sierra de Cazorla provides the puncheurs with more opportunities to claim a stage win on the type of stage where a GC favourite could lose the Vuelta if they’re getting dropped in the final because they’re unfit to deal with the Spanish ramps.
Stage 5 takes us from Jódar to La Alpujarra is going to be the first real mountainous challenge of the Vuelta as the climbers will finally get some chance to shine on what looks to be a proper MTF after 187km of racing.
The 6th stage is mostly downhill as they riders are going towards the beautiful city of Murcia where the sprinters that can survive the two bumps on the finishing circuit will get a completely flat run in for a boulevard sprint in the city centre, on a stage that looks like it could be a deciding factor in the battle for the points jersey.
Stage 7 starts in Torrevieja and is a relatively uneventful stage until the approach for the final climb up the Cumbre del Sol. Benitachell, which is a classic Spanish Rampas Inhumanas that lovers of Spanish cycling will love.
So, to recap the first week we will only see two flat finishes with 5 stages finishing uphill in one way or another which could provide options for some super interesting rider types, Lutsenko week 1 supremacy anyone?
The second week is a classic second week of a GT with a classic transport stage to Coruña where the sprinters should be duking it out with fresh legs. Stage 9 is going to be an interesting stage for the riders that a strong on the more medium climbs as Mont Castrove. Meis is not quite hard enough for the pure climbers to make a difference but also not easy going enough for the pure puncheurs to accelerate and leave the rest of the pack in the gutter. Stage 10 continues in the same vein as a downhill finish in Cangas do Morrazo will provide some of the faster puncheurs with an opportunity to snatch a stage win.
Stage 11 however, is going to be an absolutely nightmare for anyone who isn’t a GC contender 161km with very little respite as it is going to be going up and down all day until a horrific climb to Puerto de Ancares that on the profile looks absolutely frightening. This might be the stage that decides the race in its entirety as one bad day here could see you lose 5 minutes even on the final climb alone!
This stage is followed up by the flat individual time trial which stretches a merely 10km and might even mean that the prologue specialists might have a look in to see if they can grasp at a rare week 2 GT win.
Stage 13 will be a potential breakaway opportunity if the sprinter teams aren’t going to be able to stave off their attacks as the riders prepare for the final stage of the second week of racing which will be a MTF finishing on Alto de Javalambre.
Week 3 might be one of the hardest weeks of racing I can recall in MG history as the riders will be duking it out on across a massive 5 mountainous stages with three of them being MTFs and 1 being a 17km MTT. These stages are sandwiched between a stage with rolling hills that finishes in Igualada and then the traditional parade stage in Madrid to celebrate the three-week race being over and done with. Let’s have a look at the deciding mountain stages that feature in the final week of the race!
Stage 16 takes us on a short stage that starts in Andorra la Vella with a mountain finish in Cortals d’Encamp. Over the just 96km the riders will have to ascend two HC climbs before tackling the final gruelling climb. It will be interesting to see how the teams manage to set up this stage given its relative shortness in regards to how much leeway they will give to the break.
The 17th stage is the final time they riders will be able to make use of their descending skills in a meaningful fashion as they will tackle 194kms featuring four massive climbs with plenty of room for attacks along the way to the finish line Saint Jean Pied de Port.
The peloton will return to Andorra la Vella as they embark on their 17km MTT to Col D’Ordino. This could be the stage that sets everything in stone for the GC as it will be a gruelling showdown of man vs. mountain with the looming threat of the clock continuously ticking in the back of the heads for the contenders.
And if you thought thought that there might be some respite for the riders, there is a nice active recovery ride that will not be seen as zone 2 cardio for anyone but PHL, Kudus and Herklotz as a 160km stage with a gruelling finish on Ax 3 Domaines awaits the peloton on a way where I don’t think there’s a single kilometre with a pure 0.0% gradient as it’s roller coaster terrain all day.
The Vuelta’s 20th stage will be another gruelling battle as the riders will be looking at massive efforts across nearly 200km. This stage will serve as the final battlefield after a gruelling three weeks of action finding its conclusion. It will be a hellscape out of the start blocks as the first climb fall relatively shortly into the stage before a huge descent will provide some respite for the riders challenged by the altitudes. The stage will then conclude with 4 tough climbs that might decide who will win the 2025 Vuelta a Espana.
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| SotD |
Posted on 16-07-2025 15:06
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World Champion
Posts: 12631
Joined: 29-11-2006
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Interesting route for the strongest climbers and the MO/HI hybrids! Not so Much for the clasical GC guys.
Thanks for the write-up mate :-)
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| knockout |
Posted on 16-07-2025 16:51
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8235
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 500.00
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Now that is a Herklotz route if ive ever seen one. Very interesting route even if not really a route for my team! Could end up being one for the Eenkhoorn/Blums duo if id have to decide now.
Anyway, great job to the stage makers. Definitely a unique route and the tough last week should be able to prevent the biggest fluke results.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 16-07-2025 17:05
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15024
Joined: 08-08-2011
PCM$: 11500.00
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Oomen is going to need a lot of racedays..
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| Bikex |
Posted on 16-07-2025 17:38
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Team Leader
Posts: 7385
Joined: 25-08-2012
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Crazy last week. Basically only 10km of flat TT makes this a route for certain rider types. Looking forward to see how the other GTs will look compared to this one. |
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| honkerfred |
Posted on 16-07-2025 19:49
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Amateur
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PCM$: 100.00
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Newbie question here: We don't play with wild cars for CT do we??
I'm new so I suppose I cannot participate ?
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| sammyt93 |
Posted on 16-07-2025 19:52
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3800
Joined: 03-07-2012
PCM$: 300.00
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honkerfred wrote:
Newbie question here: We don't play with wild cars for CT do we??
I'm new so I suppose I cannot participate ?
You'll need to get promoted to PCT to be eligible for a wildcard, and there's been plenty of managers achieve that in their first season.
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 16-07-2025 21:54
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 5234
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Exactly my thoughts 
Surely not a route I like for my current roster, but I'll have to deal with it. A nice one for Herklotz et al., though. If Schmid didn't have those bad energy stats, he might also enjoy it, but pretty sure he won't be there 
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| ember |
Posted on 16-07-2025 21:58
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Team Leader
Posts: 7057
Joined: 27-03-2008
PCM$: 900.00
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Valter for a GT!?  Seeing the way I have built the team the last couple of seasons, obviously a route I like the look of  Now to find out if we go Valter, Novak, breakaway chasing with AHJ, or try to find a new leader to lead the line here… |
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| seancoll |
Posted on 17-07-2025 03:11
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 763
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Really fascinating TT choices as the 10km flat look to have a lot more slope than we've even given them credit for. Of course, it's not a mountain TT, but those combo TT/PRL/HI riders might be able to put in the a great result there.
Not sure who in the world will want to sprint here, but am sure someone will come with a great choice to grab a couple stages. No reason not to bring at least one anyway just in case they can get lucky.
My CT team of flat and cobble guys is very happy to NOT to be here, but our Ecuadorian sponsors are excited to see things from afar.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 17-07-2025 03:39
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16552
Joined: 27-07-2011
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A GT for the pure climbers will be really interesting. Certainly favors Carthy for me, if it works out that way. But the competition will be fierce given the limited parcours. There's good reason to bring a climber and a puncheur, but not much else. Could be a risk o send even guys most suited to the course since you can expect a very deep field.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 05-12-2025 14:22
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| redordead |
Posted on 17-07-2025 09:45
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Some of Pogi's best results in stages have come more from the hillier variety. So that's something I have to take into account even if the best possible outcome is coming in 2nd behind Herklotz. Obviously there aren't a lot of TT kms here, but maybe that means I actually have a good chance of gaining some seconds rather than worrying about how many I'll lose.
Looks like a well designed route, hopefully the AI agrees
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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