*Vingegaard wins stage and set for Vuelta win
*Almeida runs out of gas
Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard set himself up to win the 2025 Vuelta a Espana when he increased his overall lead with victory on Saturday's penultimate stage, leaving his closest rival Joao Almeida in his wake in the final kilometre.
Vingegaard, two-times Tour de France winner and the Vuelta runner-up in 2023, won his third stage of this year's race in style, validating his pre-race favourite's tag. After almost three weeks of racing, the Vuelta, and stage 20's 165.6-km ride from Robledo de Chavela, all came down to the last gruelling kilometres to the summit finish at Bola del Mundo, and Visma-Lease a Bike rider Vingegaard went for glory rather than simply defending his red jersey.
Portugal's Almeida (UAE Team Emirates XRG) began the day 44 seconds behind the Dane but did not have the legs to challenge and trailed in fifth on the stage, 22 seconds behind Vingegaard, who holds a one minute 16 second lead going into Sunday's final stage to Madrid.
"I tried, I had nothing to lose," Almeida said. "I felt on the limit throughout the stage, the sensations were not the best."
Vingegaard's teammate, and 2023 winner, Sepp Kuss was second on the stage, 11 seconds behind the winner, with Australian Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA Hansgrohe) in third. After a large early breakaway was whittled down to two men, Mikel Landa and Giulio Ciccone were caught with three kilometres remaining and the real race began, with the main GC riders battling not only for the stage win but for ultimate glory.
Five riders were out in front, the top four overall along with Kuss, and, with the onus on Almeida, Vingegaard was tucked in waiting for an attack which never came. Vingegaard seized his chance and nobody could keep pace with the 28-year-old Dane. After he lost out to Almeida on stage 13's summit finish at Angliru, this win had an even sweeter taste for the leader.
"I wanted to win in Bilbao and at the Angliru, but the Bola del Mundo is also very special," Vingegaard said.
"I felt much better today than in the last summit finishes. I'm very happy with how things have gone and the way the team has worked throughout these three weeks. "In the end I didn't feel at the limit and in the final kilometre I decided to go for the stage. The last 300 metres were incredibly tough. I don't think things will change tomorrow, I hope to keep the red jersey." Britain's Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) hung on grimly with Hindley attacking, and came in fourth, holding on to third place with a gap of 30 seconds to the Australian, and he looks set to claim his first Grand Tour podium finish. — Reuters
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