The fascination of the three amigos GC battle - Philippa York Vuelta a España analysis

Team Visma - Lease a bike team's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard cycles to the finish line of the 13th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 10.9 km individual time trial between Loudenvielle and Peyragudes, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP) (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images).

The 2025 Vuelta a España begins in Italy on Saturday and includes a mountain finish on stage two to Limone Piemonte, but I expect we'll need seven days of racing to find out if Jonas Vingegaard can live up to his billing as the number one favourite.

The new, more explosive Jonas will be well suited to the steep ramps that the final Grand Tour of the season always serves up, but the mountain stages in the Pyrenees will reveal any cracks in his and everyone else's GC armoury. The battle for overall victory will then play out in week two and week three, hopefully lasting all the way until stage 20 atop Bola del Mundo near Madrid.