OPINION | Jasper Philipsen should go to the Vuelta a Espana and battle Pedersen for green

The 2025 Vuelta a España, running from August 23 to September 14, is shaping up to be one of the most competitive editions in recent memory. The battle for the red jersey will feature an elite cast, including Jonas Vingegaard, João Almeida, Juan Ayuso, Giulio Ciccone, Egan Bernal, and Richard Carapaz. But the talent pool does not end with the general classification contenders, the points competition could be just as fierce.

Mads Pedersen, fresh off a Giro d’Italia in which he claimed four stage wins and the maglia ciclamino, will make the Vuelta’s points classification his main target. Denied a Tour de France start due to a team decision, the Dane is eager to dominate in Spain. He may, however, face a formidable challenger in Jasper Philipsen.

Under normal circumstances, the Alpecin–Deceuninck star would skip the Vuelta to focus solely on the Tour’s green jersey, a goal he has pursued exclusively since 2022. But 2025 has been anything but normal. Philipsen crashed heavily on stage 3 of this year’s Tour de France after colliding with Bryan Coquard, forcing him to abandon while wearing the green jersey, having already won the opening stage and led the points standings.

The injury was a bitter blow, and with his return to competition now imminent, lining up against Pedersen this week at the Tour of Denmark, speculation has grown that he could chase redemption in Spain.

If he does, history suggests the Vuelta could be fertile ground. Philipsen made his debut in 2020 with UAE Team Emirates at just 22 years old, securing:

– Victory in stage 15 at Puebla de Sanabria, outsprinting Pascal Ackermann and Jannik Steimle.

– 2nd place on stage 4 in Ejea de los Caballeros behind Sam Bennett.

– 4th on stage 9 in Aguilar de Campoo.

– 4th in the final stage in Madrid, behind Ackermann, Bennett, and Max Kanter.

– 7th in the final points classification.

In 2021, now with Alpecin–Deceuninck, he attempted his first Tour–Vuelta double. His start was electric:

– Victory in stage 2 in Burgos.

– Victory in stage 5 in Albacete.

– A top-three finish in stage 8 in La Manga del Mar Menor.

That campaign was cut short when a slight fever forced him to abandon, but Philipsen quickly rebounded, winning his first four races back. In just two appearances at the Spanish grand tour, he has amassed three stage wins and a string of high placings, confirming his ability to thrive there.

With this year marking his first Tour de France withdrawal since 2019, the timing for a Vuelta return could hardly be better. And as the race readies to welcome both GC giants and sprint heavyweights, the prospect of Philipsen and Pedersen going head-to-head for green, with the Belgian chasing unfinished business, makes for an enticing subplot. After all, as the question lingers in the Spanish press: why couldn’t one dream of a triumphant return to the Vuelta four years later?