August 5, 2025
The Vuelta a Burgos is to the Vuelta Ciclista a España as the Critérium du Dauphiné is to the Tour de France. We're less than a month away from the third Grand Tour and teams will want to put a stamp on their final preparations with a week of racing in Northern Spain. The opening stage is nearly 205KM from Olmillos de Sasamón to the Castillo in Burgos. The main feature on the stage is the category 1 climb of the Puerto de la Mazorra which is 7KM long at 5% but it peaks at 75KM to go with the rest of the stage rolling up and down. The last kilometer averages 5% and will either be for a puncheur or a lighter sprinter who can sit in and time the finish right.
Dries De Bondt of Decathlon AG2R, Carlos García Pierna of Burgos-Burpellet BH, Javier Ibáñez of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Mikel Bizkarra of Euskatel-Euskadi, and Joan Gamundi and Asier Pablo Gonzalez of Iles Balears Arabay broke away at KM0. They got about 4 minutes but on the Puerto de la Mazorra, García Pierna went solo and with 70KM to go, he was rejoined by De Bondt and had 2 minutes 45 seconds on the peloton with the remaining break scattered in the middle. The wind was blowing as well and the riders had a strong cross-tail that was pushing them along quickly.
Soudal Quickstep and Q36.5 were chasing in the peloton as they continued closer to the finish line, riding through the burnt grain fields and open landscape of Castile y Leon. The gap slowly came down and was 1 minute with 33KM to go. Lidl-Trek and Ineos came to the front to position themselves for a right turn that would take them through the small town of Quintanortuño and into a pure cross wind. The race never broke up but the speed was very high. De Bondt and García Pierna were finally caught with 12.5KM to go after a long and strong effort out front. A few counter attacks tried to get clear as the riders went through Sotagrero with 10KM to go but Lidl-Trek and UAE-XRG looked interested in keeping the race together for a reduced sprint.
Samuel Fernández of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA attacked with 7.5KM to go and this time the big teams did not follow. With 4KM to go, he had 25 seconds but the road started to rise with 3KM to go and the momentum from the bunch melted the gap. The peloton was sprinting behind to get into position for the climb to the Castillo and as they made the left turn with 900M to go, the gap to Fernández was just 3 or 4 seconds. The catch was made 550M from the finish as they came off a stretch of cobbles that pulled the front of the peloton into single file. Roger Adrià of Redbull-Bora Hansgrohe made the first move with over 300M to go. He was followed by Jordan Labrosse of Decathlon AG2R. A small gap appeared between them and the rest of the peloton led by Afonso Eulálio of Bahrain Victorious. Isaac del Toro of UAE-XRG jumped around Eulálio to close the gap but through a sweeping right corner with 150M to go, his rear wheel lost traction and he hit the ground. His arm swung out which caught the front wheel of Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek and took him down too. Ahead, the stage win was between Labrosse and Adrià. Labrosse took the lead in the last 100M but Adrià had a bit more to give and came passed for the win.
Both del Toro and Ciccone were able to finish but the GC time was not paused as the 3KM rule only applies to Stage 2 and 4. Del Toro got up quickly and finished at 11 seconds but Ciccone took longer and crossed the line at 1 minute 37 seconds which effectively puts him out of the GC hunt. Eulálio was able to maneuver around the crash to take third on the stage.