Jonas Vingegaard crossed the finish line alone. © APA/afp / OSCAR DEL POZO

Vingegaard on the verge of his first Vuelta triumph after climbing victory

Danish cycling star Jonas Vingegaard has won the final climbing stage of the Vuelta and is very close to his first overall victory in the Tour of Spain.

September 13, 2025

From: dpa

On the 20th stage, which featured several tough climbs, the 28-year-old from Team Visma took his third stage win and extended his lead in the red jersey of overall leader. On the 165,6 kilometers between Robledo and the Bola del Mundo summit at 2251 meters, pro-Palestinian protests again erupted along the route.

After three tough weeks, only a crash on the final stage or illness could prevent the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France winner from winning. His lead over Portuguese Joao Almeida is 1:16 minutes. Briton Tom Pidcock is third, 3:11 minutes behind. The 80th edition of the tour concludes on Sunday with a flatter stage in Madrid.

Vingegaard waits – and then strikes

The pros had to tackle 4226 meters of elevation on Saturday. A group led the way for a long time. However, the field of favorites kept the gap small. On the final climb of the highest category, the Bola del Mundo, with an average gradient of 8,6 percent, the top riders initially eyed each other up.

Vingegaard thanks his assistant Sepp Kuss. © APA/afp / OSCAR DEL POZO

On the final, particularly steep section with difficult road surface, Almeida of UAE Team Emirates rode from the front and tried in vain to distance Vingegaard. Shortly before the final kilometer, the Dane attacked and left the competition behind.

Street blockade by demonstrators

In the absence of Tour dominator Tadej Pogacar, Vingegaard entered the race as the clear favorite and led the overall standings for a long time. However, Almeida was a strong challenger and never allowed the Dane's lead to become particularly large.

Joao Almeida (second from right) found no answer to the Dane. © ANSA / Javier Lizon

Nearly 20 kilometers from the stage finish, a group of protesters attempted to block a road. However, the lead group and the peloton were able to circumvent the crowd. Police attempted to clear the blockade. Several protesters were holding Palestinian flags.

The protests by pro-Palestinian demonstrators are a central theme of this year's Tour of Spain. They relate to Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.