PREVIEW | Vuelta a Burgos 2025 stage 1 - Can Isaac del Toro sprint to victory on explosive finale?
Cycling
From the 5th to the 9th of August we have on the road what is potentially the single most important preparation race ahead of the Vuelta a España. The Vuelta a Burgos takes the riders through the hilly and mountainous terrain necessary to prepare for the final Grand Tour of the season whilst also helping the riders adapting to the weather conditions. We preview stage 1.
The race starts off as usual with a finale in Burgos, an explosive one that fits quite a lot of riders and can provide surprises. Stage 1 is the longest day of the race and a rolling one, beginning in the town of Olmillos de Sasamón.
The riders don't face a lot of climbing throughout the day but the final hour of racing will see quite a few hilltops where the pace will be high and difficult to follow. The fight for positioning into the final climb will be intense and on rolling roads.
The finale into the city castle is an iconic one in the race, averaging 900 meters at 5% but maximum gradients that are quite superior to that. We could see a sprint between puncheurs and the GC riders but a late attack can also succeed as it has in the past.
Read also

Stage 1: Olmillos de Sasamón - Burgos (Castillo), 204.6 kilometers
UAE is the main favourite to win the overall classification but I would also say it's the same case for the opening stage of the race. It's not a 'team to beat' situation but Isaac del Toro is very explosive and can win both with a late attack and a sprint, Alessandro Covi can win any punchy finish if he has the legs with this field and even in a conservative finale Juan Sebastián Molano would stand a good chance.
Prediction Vuelta a Burgos 2025 stage 1:
*** Isaac del Toro, Alessandro Covi
** Giulio Ciccone, Andreas Kron, Jon Barrenetxea
* Roger Adrià, Lukas Nerurkar, Fabio Christen, Juan Sebastián Molano, Jordan Labrosse, Javier Romo
** Giulio Ciccone, Andreas Kron, Jon Barrenetxea
* Roger Adrià, Lukas Nerurkar, Fabio Christen, Juan Sebastián Molano, Jordan Labrosse, Javier Romo
Pick: Alessandro Covi
How: Reduced group sprint
Original: Rúben Silva
Read also

Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment









