Philipsen completes Vuelta hat-trick after perfect Alpecin lead-out, Vingegaard surprises UAE and takes 4 bonus seconds
CyclingFriday, 12 September 2025 at 18:03
Jasper Philipsen won the nineteenth stage of the Vuelta a España on Friday. In a relatively uneventful stage, the Belgian rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck ultimately proved to be the strongest in the sprint, thanks to an incredible lead-out from his team. Along the way, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) managed to grab four bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, surprising UAE and João Almeida.
On paper, Friday's stage was definitely one for the sprinters. The 161.9 kilometers from Rueda to Guijuelo were virtually flat, but the fatigue of almost three weeks of racing and a tricky wind could well disrupt the race for the fast men.
From the start, it was Jakub Otruba (Caja Rural) and Victor Guernalec (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) who immediately attacked. The peloton was happy with the two at the front, so the pair quickly built up a lead of about three minutes.
However, things did not go quite as the breakaway riders had hoped. As the peloton closed in, Guernalec decided he had had enough after about fifteen kilometers. The Frenchman left the Czech rider alone at the front, while the peloton, led by Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lotto, eased off the pace a little at that point.
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Otruba receives yellow card during the stage
The lone breakaway rider built up a maximum lead of about four minutes, but also received a yellow card during his solo effort. The Czech was sitting in an illegal position on his bike, so the organization immediately intervened. The organization reminded the riders that they must remain seated, even when going downhill.
After the peloton turned slightly more southward at Fuentesaúco, the pack spread out. On open roads from that point, about 100 kilometers from the finish, the wind could start to play a role. The nervousness increased slightly, and we suddenly saw the teams for the general classification at the front.
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Wind seems to have disappeared, Vingegaard surprises at intermediate sprint
However, there was certainly no real nervousness. That was because the wind had subsided considerably. The peloton rode spread out for a long time, but we didn't see any real attempts to break away.
That certainly didn't hurt the lone breakaway rider. While the peloton had already closed the gap to about two minutes, Otruba boldly gained some time again. However, by the time they entered Salamanca, Spain's student city about 60 kilometers from the finish, the Czech rider's lead had been reduced to a minute and a half.
Salamanca was also the location of an intermediate sprint, where bonus seconds were up for grabs. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) was alert to this, and the Dane took four bonus seconds behind Otruba. João Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG) was nowhere to be seen and was therefore completely surprised by the acceleration of the red jersey.
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Finally some action, Otruba quickly caught
After the intermediate sprint, the pace remained high, so Otruba was quickly caught. The wind seemed to play a role as the riders left Salamanca, with a number of teams taking the lead. Not for long, though, as the wind turned out not to be strong enough. That's why the peloton quickly settled back into a steady rhythm.
Would we be in for a boring final hour of racing? Sergio Chumil and Mario Aparicio had other ideas. The duo from Burgos Burpellet BH, which only had four riders left in the race, accelerated and broke away. The pair did not gain much of a lead and rode about fifteen seconds ahead of the peloton.
When the pace picked up significantly shortly afterwards, it was soon over for the two attackers. Once again, the wind did not seem strong enough, but we still saw a few riders try. Alpecin-Deceuninck attempted, but it proved unsuccessful once again.
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Still a sprint in Guijuelo
A lone breakaway rider tried, and quite a few riders tried in the wind, but it was still a sprint that would decide the race in Guijuelo. The riders only reached the slightly uphill final kilometers after a short but very fast descent.
Movistar was well-positioned early on, after which trains came over the Spanish formation from the left and right. Alpecin-Deceuninck waited a long time to come forward; would they be too late?
INEOS Grenadiers seemed to have timed it a little too early, with Filippo Ganna, winner of the time trial the day before, quickly becoming the only lead-out. As the final kilometer began, the Alpecin train arrived, just in time. Philipsen accelerated, and no one saw him again.
Results stage 19 Vuelta a España 2025
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