PREVIEW | Vuelta a Andalucia 2025 - Can Tom Pidcock take on INEOS and UAE to win another GC?
Cycling
From the 19th to the 23rd of February we have one of the most important Spanish stage-races of the season. This will be the Vuelta a Andalucia, taking place in a warm part of the country, always with a mix of explosive stages that traditionally attract the climbers and classics riders a lot. We preview the race ahead.
The first stage of the race is a very threatening one. With no race leader, the uphill start will be hard to control and for a day without clear contenders, chaos can quickly settle. There are climbs of different distances and gradientns, but the final half presents three that are difficult. 6.7Km at 7.2% with 62Km to go; 1.9Km at 8.1% with 41Km to go; and 3.3Km at 7.1% with 20Km to go.
Between them all, barely a meter of flat road, it's always uphill or downhill and it's simply very hard to have an organized chase. Even if anything comes together, we will still have an uphill sprint in Cueva de Nerja at 6%.
Stage 2 is an explosive day and another one that is difficult to control. The first two thirds of the stage feature a few climbs that can create some meaningful differences. The ascent to Puerto Vieja will be ridden twice and at it's hardest, it features 4.3 kilometers at 9.4% - which can be used for serious attacks.
However the final one ends with 43 kilometers to go, still with an hour of racing left. Most of it will be flat, but the finale at the Ermita Santa Ana will also be uphill, the final kilometer will average 9% and in this short road there is still the chance to make a difference.
A day that is mostly flat, the profile looks a bit misleading, the ascent early in the day is not very hard and won't be any problem to the sprinters. It's not a pan-flat finale but it won't cause issues to those who struggle with climbing. However, the 3% average in the final kilometer will certainly make it harder, and it won't be all about the final sprint but instead a longer effort.
Another day that is rather suited to the sprinters, with a few small climbs throughout the day that can be used for some attacks or for a breakaway to make it hard for the peloton... But everything points towards a bunch sprint in Alhaurin de la Torre (where again, it will be slightly uphill).
The first half of the final stage is rather brutal, with a very long ascent right at the start of the day and then three other climbs where attacks can happen. A day with a flat finale in La Línea de la Concepción but the overall classification will be the main topic of the day with the start that the riders will have at hand.
Prediction Vuelta a Andalucia 2025 overall classification:
*** Tom Pidcock, Maxim van Gils
** Tim Wellens, Pavel Sivakov, Tobias Johannessen
* Marc Soler, Pablo Torres, Enric Mas, Nairo Quintana, Ruben Guerreiro, Ivan Sosa, Clément Berthet, Alan Hatherly, Damien Howson, Jordan Labrosse, Steff Cras
Pick: Tom Pidcock
Original: Rúben Silva
🚴♂️🌟 La Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucía presenta en diputación de Málaga las etapas que recorrerán la provincia de Málaga pic.twitter.com/6vV5uklLa2
— Vuelta a Andalucía (@VCANDALUCIA) January 29, 2025
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- It's very refreshing and a welcome change of pace to hear a legend from the past share some positive and encouraging words to the now generation for a change. Thank you, Bernard Hinault.
santiagobenites28-03-2025 - And you know this how? Proof?frieders328-03-2025
- This guy lives his live in the past, must be fun for his grandkids.JoostMehrtens27-03-2025
- It’s also no longer allowed. It was crazy back then, almost 200 race days in a year sometimes.Mistermaumau27-03-2025
- Well said. It’s tough to compare across erasmobk27-03-2025
- The level of competition in every sport is so very much higher than it was in the 70s (I'm old enough to remember), and that's fine. You compete against the people you compete against. You win the race you're in, not a race of the past or of the future. Are there any world records from the 70s? Very few, I suspect. The way people train these days, the way they race these days, it's just different. And I am comfortable assuming the following: today's riders are faster and stronger than those of the past. It's a different profession, it's more professional, and that's fine. So is every sport. What de Vlaeminck did was totally amazing in his time, but in this era not only is it not needed (people earn enough without bonuses), it's also not enough (training prepares you for racing more than racing does). Eras change. It's okay. Who knows where we will be in another 50 years.RidesHills27-03-2025
- For once Tadej won’t be the favourite. Maybe that will allow him to be a bit more opportunistic. I doubt Tadej expects to win it this year. But I am sure he will plan a return.mobk27-03-2025
- The guy is only 24? So very very young. At this age, what was MvdP doing, but building up a team as well. He's right, he's an entertainer, and yes, I've been entertained. Between him and MvdP, I started watching XCC and XCO mountain biking (now I want to go to the Quebecois race in Mont Ste. Anne that are only a few hours away), just like WvA and MvdP pulled me into cyclocross a few years ago. Multi-disciplinary awesomeness is fun. Pidcock is his own rider, and I'm curious where he'll be in 5 years. It will be fun to wait and watch.RidesHills27-03-2025
- Gotta ask you Roger how much did you get paid back then? Not what they do now that is why they race less.
MrCampy27-03-2025 - The simple fact that we have a champion like Tadej looking to break down the barrier of what's been the cycling norm for the last 35-40 years is something that should be applaudedslappers6627-03-2025