The 2025 Vuelta a Espana continued Sunday with stage 15 – a 167.8-kilometer ride in northwestern Spain, which would take the remaining riders in La Vuelta a Espana down from the mountains on a route from A Veiga Vegadeo to Monforte de Lemos in the province of Lugo, Galicia. It would be the final stage before the second rest day of this year’s Vuelta Espana. Pro cycling analysts expected a long breakaway to make it to the stage finish – or the stage to conclude in a mass sprint finish following multiple challenging mountain stages.

Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) remained general classification leader of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana following yesterday’s stage 14 stage in which he had increased his GC lead thanks to bonus seconds gained in the two-rider finish line sprint against Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), who was now 48 seconds behind the strong Dane. Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) was third in the GC, now 02:38 minutes behind GC leader Vingegaard.

Surrounded by historic architecture and river landscapes, the riders gathered behind the start line in A Veiga Vegadeo for the start of stage 15 of Vuelta a Espana 2025. Several riders proved eager to establish and join the long breakaway of the day, so many attacks were launched after the start of stage 15, and multiple breakaway groups made their way up Puerto a Garganta, which is a Category 1 climb that was contested from the stage start.

Australian Jay Vine was the first rider to reach the summit of Puerto a Garganta and gained the most points for the KOM classification, which he was already leading. He was followed by Jakub Otruba, Louis Vervaeke, and Mads Pedersen.

The breakaway action got reshuffled in the following kilometers and many riders were still taking part in the attacking action. Jay Vine was also the first rider to reach the summit of Alto de Barbeitos. The Category 2 climb was the final categorized climb of the stage and Jay Vine crossed the summit first, to gain the most points for the KOM classification. He was followed by Louis Vervaeke and Nicolas Vinokurov.

Vervaeke joined forces with Vine, and the front duo had a lead of forty seconds over a 45-rider chase group with 105 kilometers to the finish line. The main peloton was obviously taking a relaxed day in the office and was already more than nine minutes behind the front duo. Team Visma - Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates were controlling the pace in the main peloton.

Vine and Vervaeke continued acting as lures in the following kilometers and the 45-rider chase group was keeping them on a tight leash. The chase group featured strong riders such as Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Orluis Aular (Movistar Team), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies), Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies), Magnus Sheffield (Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies), Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal-QuickStep), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious), Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-Alula), Kevin Vermaerke (Picnic-PostNL), Jake Stewart and Marco Frigo. Lidl-Trek had no less than five riders in the chase group.

Javier Romo crashed in the chase group with 55 kilometers remaining when a spectator ran onto the racecourse. The Spanish Movistar rider fortunately got back on his bike after the scare. Vine and Vervaeke were still in front, now with a lead of 02:27 minutes over the 44-rider chase group. The main peloton was now no less than 13:29 minutes behind the front duo.

While the front duo was forty seconds in front, Egan Bernal attacked from the chase group on a short hill and the Ineos-Grenadiers-TotalEnergies rider got joined by Mads Pedersen and Santiago Buitrago. Orluis Aular also bridged to the chase trio as did Dunbar, Frigo, and Sheffield. The riders in chase group 1 and 2 were now on high alert and this could be a defining moment in today’s stage 15.

The seven-rider chase group fought on and the riders were 32 seconds behind the Vine-Vervaeke front duo with 25 kilometers to the finish line. The remaining riders from the original chase group were now more than fifteen seconds behind the magnificent seven.

The seven riders in the first chase group proved stronger than the exhausted front duo in the following kilometers. The front duo had a lead of just sixteen seconds when seventeen kilometers remained of the last stage before the second rest day of this year’s Vuelta a Espana. The second chase group was now 45 seconds back, while the main peloton was almost fourteen minutes after the front duo despite an intense effort from the Bahrain-Victorious team, which was trying to protect Torstein Traeen’s ninth place in the GC.

The Pedersen and Bernal-headed seven rider chase group was just nine seconds behind Vine and Vervaeke front duo with nine kilometers to the finish line of stage 15. The front duo got reeled in one kilometer later.

Egan Bernal launched a solo attack with seven kilometers left. The Colombian rider did not open a gap. Mads Pedersen moved to the front of the group to set as fast a pace as possible. Chase group 1 was now getting closer to the nine riders in front.

The nine-rider front group was still intact with 3.5-kilometers to the finish line. The finishing kilometers featured several obstacles, including roundabouts.

Mads Pedersen accelerated and attacked with 2.2-kilometers to the finish line. The powerful Dane did not open a gap. The speed was intense, and all nine riders were monitoring each other closely.

One kilometer remained.

Marco Frigo attacked with five hundred meters to the finish line. Mads Pedersen closed the gap. Magnus Sheffield unfortunately crashed while cornering. Orluis Aular attacked, but Mads Pedersen countered and proved the strongest rider in the sprint to the finish line.

Denmark’s Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has won stage 15 of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana ahead of Orluis Aular of Movistar Team. What an amazing victory for the leader of the points classification who has animated this year’s Vuelta by courageously participating in so many breakaways and sprints. Italian rider Marco Frigo completed the stage podium.

“I really wanted to have a win in this Vuelta and today I succeeded. The team worked for me the whole day. The two front riders got a big lead, but the boys in the team made it possible for me,” stage winner Mads Pedersen explained to Roadcycling.com shortly after the stage finish. 

“Everyone knew our plan and to win today feels absolutely incredible. When Frigo went with 700 meters left it was perfect and he kind of worked as a lead-out man for me,” Pedersen added.

The main peloton, which featured the general classification favorites, finished the stage almost fourteen minutes after stage winner Pedersen.

Jonas Vingegaard remains general classification leader ahead of Joao Almeida after stage 15.

Monday will be the second rest day of this year’s Vuelta a Espana. The Vuelta will resume on Tuesday where stage 16 of Vuelta a Espana 2025 will take the remaining riders in the peloton into mountainous terrain on a 167.9-kilometer route from coastal town Poio to Mos. Castro de Herville.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage from the 2025 Vuelta a Espana.