"Do everything in our power to make Van Gils’ life as hard as possible” - UAE to come back fighting after losing out on opening stage of Vuelta a Andalucia
CyclingThursday, 20 February 2025 at 12:00
Things looked to be poised very positively for UAE Team Emirates - XRG heading towards the finale of stage 1 at the 2025 Vuelta a Andalucia. Despite having the numbers advantage though, Tim Wellens and Pavel Sivakov were outfoxed by Maxim van Gils in a three-up fight for the stage win.
Despite the ultimate disappointment of missing out on the stage victory, Wellens especially sees the positives of a strong team performance on the opening day of the Spanish stage race. “We wanted to make it a hard stage," he explains in post-race comments to the official website of UAE Team Emirates - XRG. "We went à bloc with Julius Johansen and then Igor Arrieta attacked, before Pavel Sivakov, Marc Soler and Pablo Torres also made a move. In the end, Pavel went away and I joined him along with Van Gils, when we became a three."
As mentioned though, Wellens and Sivakov failed to make their numerical advantage count in the finale. “We were not thinking about the general classification but about the stage win, which we really wanted. We attacked many times but to be honest, Van Gils was the strongest and he deserved the victory," Wellens concedes honestly. "Now we have to take a look at GC and over the next days, do everything in our power to make Van Gils’ life as hard as possible.”
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Stage 1 - 2025 Vuelta a Andalucia
| 1 | Van Gils Maxim | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | 04:19:23 |
| 2 | Wellens Tim | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | + 00 |
| 3 | Sivakov Pavel | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | + 07 |
| 4 | Soler Marc | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | + 30 |
| 5 | Berthet Clément | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 30 |
| 6 | Leknessund Andreas | Uno-X Mobility | + 33 |
| 7 | Cras Steff | Team TotalEnergies | + 39 |
| 8 | Pidcock Tom | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 39 |
| 9 | Arrieta Igor | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | + 01:38 |
| 10 | Gachignard Thomas | Team TotalEnergies | + 01:40 |
| 11 | Staune-Mittet Johannes | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 01:40 |
| 12 | Hoelgaard Markus | Uno-X Mobility | + 01:43 |
| 13 | Labrosse Jordan | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 01:43 |
| 14 | Silva Thomas | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 01:43 |
| 15 | Johannessen Tobias Halland | Uno-X Mobility | + 01:43 |
| 16 | Prodhomme Nicolas | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 01:46 |
| 17 | Quintana Nairo | Movistar Team | + 01:46 |
| 18 | Parra José Félix | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 01:46 |
| 19 | Double Paul | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 01:48 |
| 20 | Carboni Giovanni | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 01:51 |
| 21 | Torres Pablo | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | + 01:54 |
| 22 | Diaz Jose Manuel | Burgos Burpellet BH | + 02:05 |
| 23 | Johannessen Anders Halland | Uno-X Mobility | + 02:05 |
| 24 | Swift Connor | INEOS Grenadiers | + 02:05 |
| 25 | De Tier Floris | Wagner Bazin WB | + 02:32 |
| 26 | Gutiérrez Jorge | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 02:34 |
| 27 | Scotson Callum | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 02:42 |
| 28 | Holter Ådne | Uno-X Mobility | + 02:42 |
| 29 | Aleotti Giovanni | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 02:48 |
| 30 | Christophersen Cedrik Bakke | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 02:54 |
| 31 | Okamika Ander | Burgos Burpellet BH | + 03:27 |
| 32 | Jasch Lennart | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 03:30 |
| 33 | Mintegi Iker | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 03:33 |
| 34 | Rivera Brandon | INEOS Grenadiers | + 03:33 |
| 35 | Hatherly Alan | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 07:10 |
| 36 | Iribar Unai | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 07:26 |
| 37 | Mas Enric | Movistar Team | + 07:26 |
| 38 | Howson Damien | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 07:37 |
| 39 | Turner Ben | INEOS Grenadiers | + 08:57 |
| 40 | Guerreiro Ruben | Movistar Team | + 09:05 |
| 41 | Martín Gotzon | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 10:15 |
| 42 | Van Hautegem Leander | Wagner Bazin WB | + 10:15 |
| 43 | Deweirdt Siebe | Team Flanders-Baloise | + 10:15 |
| 44 | Garcia Carlos | Burgos Burpellet BH | + 12:26 |
| 45 | Aparicio Mario | Burgos Burpellet BH | + 12:26 |
| 46 | Callejas Alejandro | Petrolike | + 15:05 |
| 47 | Clynhens Toon | Team Flanders-Baloise | + 15:05 |
| 48 | Lanhove Milan | Team Flanders-Baloise | + 15:05 |
| 49 | Kyffin Zeb | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 15:05 |
| 50 | Guardeño Jaume | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 15:05 |
| 51 | Nicolau Joel | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 15:08 |
| 52 | Caicedo Jonathan | Petrolike | + 15:08 |
| 53 | Barrenetxea Jon | Movistar Team | + 15:08 |
| 54 | Juul-Jensen Christopher | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 15:10 |
| 55 | Jousseaume Alan | Team TotalEnergies | + 15:10 |
| 56 | Tuckwell Luke | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 15:10 |
| 57 | Berwick Sebastian | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 15:10 |
| 58 | Brambilla Gianluca | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 15:10 |
| 59 | Zukowsky Nickolas | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 15:10 |
| 60 | Mühlberger Gregor | Movistar Team | + 15:14 |
| 61 | Laurance Axel | INEOS Grenadiers | + 15:14 |
| 62 | Berhe Welay | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 15:14 |
| 63 | van der Tuuk Danny | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 19:28 |
| 64 | Delgado David | Burgos Burpellet BH | + 19:28 |
| 65 | Alleno Clément | Burgos Burpellet BH | + 19:28 |
| 66 | Fraile Omar | INEOS Grenadiers | + 19:28 |
| 67 | Lopez Joseba | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 19:28 |
| 68 | Colman Alex | Team Flanders-Baloise | + 19:28 |
| 69 | Darder Sergi | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 19:28 |
| 70 | Galimberti Lorenzo | Petrolike | + 19:28 |
| 71 | Papon Victor | Wagner Bazin WB | + 19:28 |
| 72 | Blume Levy William | Uno-X Mobility | + 19:28 |
| 73 | Hajek Alexander | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 19:28 |
| 74 | Stokbro Nielsen Andreas | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 19:28 |
| 75 | Baguelin Jocelyn | Wagner Bazin WB | + 19:28 |
| 76 | Gimeno Nil | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 19:28 |
| 77 | Lopez Jordi | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 19:28 |
| 78 | Barceló Fernando | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 19:28 |
| 79 | Soupe Geoffrey | Team TotalEnergies | + 19:28 |
| 80 | Toupalik Adam | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 19:28 |
| 81 | Latour Pierre | Team TotalEnergies | + 19:28 |
| 82 | Foldager Anders | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 19:28 |
| 83 | Sosa Ivan | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 19:28 |
| 84 | Johansen Julius | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | + 19:28 |
| 85 | Persico Davide | Wagner Bazin WB | + 22:20 |
| 86 | Vandenstorme Dylan | Team Flanders-Baloise | + 22:20 |
| 87 | Peschi Lorenzo | Petrolike | + 22:20 |
| 88 | Lambrecht Michiel | Wagner Bazin WB | + 22:20 |
| 89 | Ponomar Andrii | Petrolike | + 22:20 |
| 90 | Serrano Gonzalo | Movistar Team | + 22:20 |
| 91 | Maris Elias | Team Flanders-Baloise | + 22:20 |
| 92 | Nielsen Sebastian | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 22:20 |
| 93 | Van Hemelen Vincent | Team Flanders-Baloise | + 22:20 |
| 94 | Dauphin Florian | Team TotalEnergies | + 22:20 |
| 95 | Garcia Carlos | Petrolike | + 22:20 |
| 96 | Frison Frederik | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 22:20 |
| 97 | Liepins Emils | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 22:20 |
| 98 | González David | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 22:20 |
| 99 | Arcas Jorge | Movistar Team | + 22:20 |
| 100 | Vermoote Jelle | Wagner Bazin WB | + 22:20 |
| 101 | Sütterlin Jasha | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 22:20 |
| 102 | Martin David | Burgos Burpellet BH | + 22:20 |
| 103 | Naesen Oliver | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 22:20 |
| 104 | Dewulf Stan | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 22:20 |
| 105 | Dekker David | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 22:20 |
| 106 | Macias Cesar | Petrolike | + 22:20 |
| 107 | Marcerou Nicola | Team TotalEnergies | + 22:20 |
| 108 | Sutton Louis | Euskaltel-Euskadi | + 22:20 |
| 109 | Kristoff Alexander | Uno-X Mobility | + 22:20 |
| 110 | Uriarte Diego | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 22:20 |
| 111 | Herzog Emil | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | + 22:33 |
🇧🇪 Maxim Van Gils wins the opening stage of #71RdS 🇪🇸, defeating 🇧🇪Tim Wellens & 🇫🇷 Pavel Sivakov. 🔥
— Domestique (@Domestique___) February 19, 2025
It’s a race that UAE Team Emirates XRG doesn’t win, wow! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/RI05faFvqH
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