Vuelta a España 2025 discussion

[Escarabajo]

This vuelta has to be asterisked!

 

[Cycling111]

This team is very weak.
Lotto's team seems like a development team. Intermarche's like a continental team.

In the end, Q36.5 will have a better team than many pro teams.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1957812142561702153

View: https://x.com/EFprocycling/status/1957812142561702153?t=hMXH21q5PMp084sIq_s5HQ&s=19

 

[Tim Cahill]

Carapaz clearly just took a look at that WC profile and fancied a go at that instead of labouring around Spain for 3 weeks.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Disappointed that Kämna won‘t be there. I don‘t really understand this season plan necessarily.

 

[Sciatic]

This team is very weak.
Lotto's team seems like a development team. Intermarche's like a continental team.

In the end, Q36.5 will have a better team than many pro teams.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1957812142561702153

View: https://x.com/EFprocycling/status/1957812142561702153?t=hMXH21q5PMp084sIq_s5HQ&s=19

Yikes! That's too bad after EF's success at the Tour, they may be invisible here.

 

[Valv.Piti]

This Vuelta seems to be getting more depressing by the minute...

Lots of riders not attending that I would have liked to see. That and having such a big favorite and such a mediocre route is dampering my almost always very high expectations for the race. Damn it, no Mas and Roglic is worse enough (they should be forced to ride every Vuelta, damn it!), but no Carapaz either.

 

[yaco]

My major interest is seeing how close Almeida can get to Vingegaard. Almeida been in such good form in 2025 that i expect him to push Jonas.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

This team is very weak.
Lotto's team seems like a development team. Intermarche's like a continental team.

There are always a bunch of lineups like this at the Vuelta, whereas they are much more rare at the Giro. One of the reasons why the 'the Vuelta is the second-most important GT now' crowd is and has always been wrong.

 

[Rou]

There are always a bunch of lineups like this at the Vuelta, whereas they are much more rare at the Giro. One of the reasons why the 'the Vuelta is the second-most important GT now' crowd is and has always been wrong.

When the numbers speak we stay quiet.
Here is a comparison of startlist quality between the Giro and Vuelta since 2021.
Data from PCS.
The higher the number the higher quality riders.
Giro 2021 - 885 Vuelta 2021 - 1023
Giro 2022 - 817 Vuelta 2022 - 967
Giro 2023 - 835 Vuelta 2023 - 846
Giro 2024 - 721 Vuelta 2024 - 916

Yes, the Vuelta is the second most important GT in the 2020s.

 

[Netserk]

@Devil's Elbow

https://twitter.com/x/status/1957861462245769477

View: https://x.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1957861462245769477

 

[Netserk]

When the numbers speak we stay quiet.
Here is a comparison of startlist quality between the Giro and Vuelta since 2021.
Data from PCS.
The higher the number the higher quality riders.
Giro 2021 - 885 Vuelta 2021 - 1023
Giro 2022 - 817 Vuelta 2022 - 967
Giro 2023 - 835 Vuelta 2023 - 846
Giro 2024 - 721 Vuelta 2024 - 916

Yes, the Vuelta is the second most important GT in the 2020s.

Geraint Thomas gave the same startlist score in both GTs in 2023?

 

[Rou]

Geraint Thomas gave the same startlist score in both GTs in 2023?

No, he gave 20 in the Giro and 10 in the Vuelta.

 

[Brullnux]

When the numbers speak we stay quiet.
Here is a comparison of startlist quality between the Giro and Vuelta since 2021.
Data from PCS.
The higher the number the higher quality riders.
Giro 2021 - 885 Vuelta 2021 - 1023
Giro 2022 - 817 Vuelta 2022 - 967
Giro 2023 - 835 Vuelta 2023 - 846
Giro 2024 - 721 Vuelta 2024 - 916

Yes, the Vuelta is the second most important GT in the 2020s.

Numbers are pointless without context, and the context here is that half these riders were there to collect a check or to salvage a season in middling form.

 

[tobydawq]

There are always a bunch of lineups like this at the Vuelta, whereas they are much more rare at the Giro. One of the reasons why the 'the Vuelta is the second-most important GT now' crowd is and has always been wrong.

I don't think this take is entirely true to be honest.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

@Devil's Elbow

https://twitter.com/x/status/1957861462245769477

View: https://x.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1957861462245769477

I saw the tweet right before you posted it. First weird find: hairpin at 60-70 metres from the line on stage 3.

 

[ashhutch1997]

Four days to go and still nothing. It infuriates me almost as much as the route itself, and considering that I think this is the worst GT route in 13 years that's saying something.

Needless to say, posting a stage-by-stage analysis has become impossible at this point.

We finally have stage maps! Now you've got 3 days to write up a stage by stage analysis 😉.

 

[repre]

The two biggest fish (see what I did there) are already decided - Pogacar doesn't race, Fisherman does.

Fisher-Black goes too!

 

[Devil's Elbow]

You're on Twitter?

I lurk.

 

[Marius Mellado]

the starting lists does look better than last year.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Max "Anything Oscar can do..." Poole is out with Epstein-Barr virus.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Now appears that the expected participation of Derek Gee isn't happening.

 

[Escarabajo]

I saw the lineups this morning and there are asterisks everywhere. Almost like if most of the teams are fighting for the youth prize. LOL. This is becoming the new Lavenir!!!

Startlist for Vuelta a España 2025

Competing teams and riders for Vuelta a España 2025. Top competitors are Mads Pedersen, João Almeida and Jonas Vingegaard.

www.procyclingstats.com

 

[Pozzovivo]

With Gee and Carapaz out, this field is razor thin. Pidcock should aim for top 5 for sure. Barely going to be 10 guys going for GC outside support riders for bigger leaders. Visma could have JV, MJ, SK, WK, and maybe BT in the top 10 if that was their goal.

Very weak GC field outside Vingegaard, Almeida, Ayuso, and Carapaz?

#	Rider Name
1	Jonas Vingegaard
2	João Almeida
3	Juan Ayuso
	2nd tier
6
7	Giulio Ciccone
9	Antonio Tiberi
10	Felix Gall
11	Jai Hindley
12
13	Egan Bernal
	3rd tier
15	Giulio Pellizzari
16	Matthew Riccitello
17
18	Lennert Van Eetvelt
19	Sepp Kuss
20
21	Thomas Pidcock
22
23	David Gaudu
24	Eddie Dunbar
	Out of tier due to injury
26	Mikel Landa

 

[Tim Cahill]

In many years time we are going to talk about this race in the context of 'remember when x top 10ed a GC', some absolute nobody is going to get the best result of their career, like that time Eiking almost fluked it.

 

[YavorD]

With Gee and Carapaz out, this field is razor thin. Pidcock should aim for top 5 for sure. Barely going to be 10 guys going for GC outside support riders for bigger leaders. Visma could have JV, MJ, SK, WK, and maybe BT in the top 10 if that was their goal.

Wait, what?? How on earth is Ciccone 2nd tier?