Jonas Vingegaard is on the verge of his first Vuelta triumph. © ANSA / Javier Lizon

“I always dreamed of it” – The cycling star’s emotional comeback

Jonas Vingegaard mastered the final difficult test on his way to his long-awaited Vuelta triumph with flying colors. After years of hard work, the Danish professional cyclist is on the verge of his first overall victory in Spain's prestigious stage race.

September 14, 2025

From: dpa/sn

Wearing the red jersey of the overall leader, Vingegaard put on a champion-like performance in front of an impressive crowd on Saturday – on the steep ramps up to the 2.251-meter-high Bola del Mondo, Vingegaard once again outpaced his opponents and secured his third stage victory at this Vuelta.

"It's one of the biggest races in the world, and I've always dreamed of winning it. The fact that I've done it and won is a dream come true for me," Vingegaard said before the final stage at the end of the three weeks, which, in addition to great sports, were also repeatedly marked by pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Vingegaard enthuses: “Incredible”

The 80th edition of the tour concludes on Sunday with a flatter stage in Madrid, where attacks are usually not a big deal. Portuguese Joao Almeida (1:16 minutes behind) and Briton Tom Pidcock (3:11) are the first pursuers. After three tough weeks, only a crash on the final stage or illness could prevent Vingegaard from winning the overall race.

The 28-year-old Vingegaard was impressed by his stage victory on "such a special mountain." "Incredible," enthused the two-time Tour de France winner from Denmark, who had to admit defeat to dominant rider Tadej Pogacar in France this year and last year. Pogacar was absent from the Vuelta – and Vingegaard took full advantage.

Jonas Vingegaard was delighted with the day's victory "on such a special mountain." © ANSA / Javier Lizon

The captain of Team Visma has endured tough years and has had to battle back repeatedly after serious crashes. Vingegaard's worst fall came in the spring of 2024 in the Basque Country, when he suffered a broken collarbone, several broken ribs, a contused lung, and a pneumothorax.

Sports director: Not his best level

"It's very nice to come back like this from everything I've had to go through in the past few years," said Vingegaard, who fell more than four minutes behind Pogacar in this year's Tour.

Jonas Vingegaard took his third stage win on Saturday. © ANSA / Javier Lizon

The Dane wasn't at his limit in Spain either, as sporting director Grischa Niermann noted. "That wasn't his best level, but it was still enough to be the best rider in this Vuelta. He truly deserves it. We're absolutely delighted," Niermann told Eurosport.
But the final weekend wasn't just about sport. 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 ride around them. Police attempted to clear the blockade. Several protesters were holding Palestinian flags.

Stage cancellation and threats

These weren't the first incidents of this kind at the Tour. First, the jury abandoned the eleventh stage of the Vuelta shortly before the finish because protesters in the finish area had threatened the riders' safety. Then, the sports director of the Israel-Premier Tech racing team reported death threats against his team.

Two days after the scandal, Canadian-Israeli team owner Sylvan Adams described what allegedly happened behind the scenes. He claimed that the head of the Vuelta organizer, Unipublic, asked him to withdraw the Israeli team from the race. "But I told him I wouldn't do that," Adams said.

"If we give up, it's not just the end of our team, but also of all the other teams." Then someone will "demonstrate against teams from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, or against Astana." The protests by pro-Palestinian demonstrators were a central theme of this year's Vuelta a España. They refer to Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.