Vingegaard favourite as Vuelta 2025 opens without Pogacar and Roglic

The 2025 Vuelta a España rolls out of Turin on Saturday with Jonas Vingegaard installed as the man to beat, a deeply stacked Visma team at his back, and a field that, for the first time in years, lacks Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič at the start. The absence of those two former champions tightens the likelihood of a new chapter in the Spanish grand tour, as UAE Team Emirates XRG counter with two potential leaders, João Almeida and Juan Ayuso, while several other teams chart bold campaigns for stage wins and GC glory across a route dominated by summit finishes and challenging plateaus of climbing over 21 stages.

In a race defined by mountains and endurance, Vingegaard enters as the favorite, reinforced by a dependable, battle-tested support squad including Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson. He is clear about his objective: “I came here to win the Vuelta. That’s my goal and the team’s goal.” With four-time Tour winner and recent absentees removed from the equation, the Dane carries the weight of expectation, yet he insists the challenge is not a foregone conclusion. “If you’re the top favorite, it means you’re a good bike rider,” he said, signaling both confidence and awareness of...