Arguably the easiest stage on this year’s route, these 153.5km take the race into the heart of Champagne country to finish in the beautiful cathedral city of Reims.
While not as flat as previous stages, there are no significant lumps and it’s a relatively short distance. That means that there’s barely time for any breakaway riders to build a useful advantage before the sprinters’ teams will gather to chase them down.
A possible complicating factor is the wind on Champagne’s exposed plains, but it would have to be some breeze to trouble the peloton enough to lead to a split. Nevertheless, if it is windy you can expect the riders to be nervous. Ultimately, that’s likely to mean that crashes are a bigger threat to the favourites than the formation of echelons.
Stage profile
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'I'll give it a shot' - trailblazing Monaco pro Victor Langellotti ready to challenge for Vuelta a España first summit finish on stage 2
Ineos Grenadiers racer was a recent surprise winner on a similar finale in Tour de Pologne -
'I've got a set of boxers, a set of socks, so it's no stress' - Finlay Pickering unfazed by last-minute plunge into Grand Tour debut at Vuelta a España
22-year-old Briton super-late substitute for injured Bahrain Victorious teammate Damiano Caruso -
'It's never as easy as it looks' - Jasper Philipsen's rollercoaster 2025 season continues with fourth stage win and first lead in the Vuelta a España
Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter bounces back after crashing out of Tour de France -
The current GC standings at the Vuelta a España 2025
Jasper Philipsen leads the race overall after he took the victory on the opening stage in Italy
