Why Vingegaard is not the leader: keys of La Vuelta a España so far

The first week of La Vuelta 2025 ends with Norwegian Torstein Træen leading the general classification. A week in which Visma-Lease a Bike has focused on conserving energy and where the spectacle, except for very specific moments, has been absent.

Jonas Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike avoid the responsibility of leading La Vuelta

An insipid first week of La Vuelta in which a not very selective route, lack of ambition in the peloton, and a Visma-Lease a Bike that feels superior and shows the ability to blow up the race wherever it wants have resulted in a near-total blockage of La Vuelta that has not left much to highlight.

A superiority that Jonas Vingegaard already showed in the second stage, the first of the no less than 6 uphill finishes that La Vuelta has had in just one week. A second stage in which he took the lead but voluntarily ceded it the next day. A situation that would be repeated after the team time trial of the fifth stage where, despite being overtaken by UAE Team Emirates-XRG and managing to take the red jersey, on the following day on the way to Andorra, they allowed the day's breakaway which allowed the Norwegian from Bahrain-Victorious, Torstein Træen, to take the lead that he has managed to maintain until the rest day.

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Neither the mountain finishes nor the team time trial have been selective at all. The first ones because they were mostly single-road routes where only the final climb added some excitement, and as for the team time trial, a ridiculous distance for this specialty and a twisty route where the strongest teams had no terrain to make their block's strength count also resulted in minimal differences on this day.

A philosophy of understanding the race that does not surprise regular fans since La Vuelta has been looking for routes for years that allow maintaining differences in the classification, seeking to keep the excitement until the end of the race. A philosophy that, while it may be attractive to a general audience that barely sits in front of the TV to watch the stage finishes, is not for those who regularly follow cycling and have had to endure a very unsatisfying spectacle.

Only the stage in Cerler, the only true mountain stage that has been contested, with chained climbs and the exhibition of Juan Ayuso who redeemed himself after losing his chances for the general classification but with the favorites for the general back in control.

Juan Ayuso went from hero to villain the next day when, in the ascent to Valdezcaray, Jonas Vingegaard decided it was the perfect moment to shake up the race, on a climb with little difficulty but where he made it clear that he is far superior to everyone else. In this situation, the already sole leader of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Joao Almeida, reproached his teammates for leaving him alone when Visma-Lease a Bike launched their offensive.

A general criticism towards the team but, with the background of that controversial stage of the Tour last year, when on the Galibier it was seen that Juan Ayuso did not collaborate in the work of toughening the climb, it was surely directed especially towards the rider from Alicante who, even before starting the ascent to Valdezcaray, dropped back and let himself be carried voluntarily to save energy. At the finish line, when asked about his lack of collaboration, he argued that he was tired and could not have contributed much, hard to believe after his performance two days earlier.

In any case, Jonas Vingegaard, despite the displayed superiority, could not dethrone a resilient Torstein Træen who was able to keep a cool head and finish with the rest of the favorites to hold onto the lead.

The week that is now beginning proposes, in principle, more of the same, starting with the stage ending in Belagua, the Spanish face of Piedra de San Martín, perhaps the most challenging climb faced by La Vuelta so far but again, on a practically single-road day. It will be followed by the interesting stages of Bilbao and Corrales de Buelna, interesting for proposing something different in a medium mountain format and a weekend with the Asturian duo of Angliru and Farrapona which will likely almost seal La Vuelta, especially given the superior level at which Jonas Vingegaard finds himself and which, until now, has only allowed him to let others do the work and save energy.