Vuelta a España 2025 stage 9 preview - Summit finish favours breakaway

• Start time: 12:20 CEST
• Finish time: 17:16 CEST
• How to watch stage 9 of the Vuelta a España
• Favourites to win the stage: Jay Vine, Juan Ayuso, David Gaudu, Pablo Castrillo, Bruno Armirail, Lorenzo Fortunato

Stage 9 of the 2025 Vuelta route serves up another 1980s and '90s favourite summit finish, where it was regularly used for uphill time trials.

This time round, the long, flat approach roads to the ski station should favour a breakaway, but on paper, the category 1 Valdezcaray climb itself shouldn't be hard enough to affect the GC standings too much.

Held in La Rioja, an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, stage 9 completes the first week of racing of the Vuelta a España with a well-known mountain top finish.

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The start town of Alfaro is home to the Collegiate Church of San Miguel, built between the 17th and 18th centuries, and a declared national monument. The site is known for hosting one of the largest white stork colonies in Europe. Dozens of nests crown its towers and roofs, making it a unique place to observe these birds in their habitat.

After leaving Alfaro, the 195.5km route follows an arching path to the west on rolling roads towards the intermediate sprint of the day in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, after 165.5km of racing. As well as sprint points, bonus seconds will also be on offer.

The riders will then head south towards the finish line atop the cat. 1 Valdezcaray Ski Resort, the only categorised climb of the day. The 13.2km-long ascent with average gradients of 5% is toughest at the start, with the road flattening out in the final kilometres.

The Valdezcaray climb first appeared in the Vuelta in 1988 with a stage that started in Santander, won by Sean Kelly. It returned for the next three editions, featuring an individual time trial beginning in Ezcaray. Australian rider Simon Clarke is the most recent winner on the Rioja summit, claiming the victory in 2018 from the breakaway. Notably, in 2012, Clarke took his first professional win on the same finish in his Grand Tour debut.

The stage’s mostly flat profile could favour a breakaway if they can build a big enough lead to hold on before the summit finish. The final climb itself shouldn't be hard enough to affect the GC standings on the eve of the first rest day.

Climbs

• Valdezcaray (cat. 1), km. 195.5

Sprints

• Santo Domingo de la Calzada, km. 165.5 - time bonus