La Vuelta 2025 Stage 19 recap - Jasper Philipsen completes hat-trick as Jones Vingegaard strengthens lead

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) soared to a third victory on La Vuelta with a commanding win in Stage 19 ahead of the green jersey Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek).

Denmark’s Pedersen was a distant second after Philipsen benefited from a flawless leadout from his Alpecin team-mates on the uphill rise to the line in Guijuelo, with Venezuela’s Orluis Aular (Movistar) crossing the line in third.

In a day of little drama, race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) caught his red jersey rival Joao Almeida and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team napping, the Dane darting clear to pocket four bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint in Salamanca.

Vingegaard extended his lead at the top of the general classification to 44 seconds over Portugal’s Almeida ahead of Saturday’s summit showdown on the Bola del Mundo climb in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains west of Madrid.

No change in the order of our cast – but everyone, bar Jorgenson, moves a further four seconds behind the race leader after Vingegaard’s swoop for bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint.

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)
2. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +0:44
3. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +2:43
4. Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +3:22
5. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) +4:23
6. Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech) +5:21
7. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +5:24
8. Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) +7:30
9. Torstein Traeen (Bahrain-Victorious) +7:46
10. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) +10:21

Stage 19 winner Jasper Philipsen was full of praise for his Alpecin-Deceuninck team-mates after his third win:

Here's how the Belgian did it:

With Ben Turner in fifth place, it seems, behind a rider from Arkea-B&B Hotels. But they were all well off Philipsen’s pace.

1 Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
2. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
3. Orluis Aular (Movistar)
4. Jenthe Biermans (Arkea-B&B Hotels)
5. Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers)
6. Arne Marit (Intermarche-Wanty)
7. Fabio Christen (Q36.5 Pro Cycling)
8. Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech)
9. Thibaut Gruel (Groupama-FDJ)
10. Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)

Alpecin-Deceuninck appeared at just the right time to give their fastman the ideal leadout after Ganna’s pull. Pedersen launched early from the left but could never give Philipsen a run for his money, the Belgian soaring to a third win on this Vuelta.

It’s still Ganna driving the tempo and pulling team-mate Turner along. The pack has been whittled down to around 50 riders ahead of this sprint – and here come Alpecin-Deceuninck…

Three men from Ineos, including Ben Turner, are on the front now. Astana and Arkea are also primed. Ganna takes it up for Turner, burying himself for a second day running.

The green jersey is a bit boxed in. Some of his Lidl team-mates are trying to drag him back into contention, notably Kragh Andersen and Hoole.

The Colombian has the Movistar train behind him working for their man Orluis Aular. Jayco and Bahrain are in the mix, too. There’s a 3km rule today, for what it’s worth.

The peloton has arrived in Guijuelo. They will now carry out a loop around town before returning to the centre via a steady rise to the line. Ineos have taken it up again with Cofiidis. The pace is high and they pack is all strung out.

Israel-Premier Tech and Lidl-Trek are also edging forward, with Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe also present. Movistar are in the mix, but UAE have many riders off the back, including Domen Novak and Jay Vine, who appear to be saving themselves for tomorrow.

We’ve talked a lot about Mads Pedersen, Jasper Philipsen, Elia Viviani and Ben Turner – but who else could cause a surprise today? Bryan Coquard may have a pop if Cofidis team-mate Viviani is not up to it, while Britain’s Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) may be in the mix alongside compatriot and team-mate Jake Stewart. Other potentials are Madis Mihkels (EF Education-EasyPost) and Guillermo Silva (Caja Rural).

But on a punchy uphill sprint like this, the green jersey of Pedersen is going to take some beating.

There has been a distinct shortage of drama today but Jonas Vingegaard picking up four bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint at Salamanca was perhaps not on anyone’s bingo card.

The South African hits the deck after a collision with a plastic bollard on the side of the road. The Intermarche-Wanty rider is back on his feet but has to wait a while before getting a new bike from his team car. He might be able to join forces with Ciccone in a bid to rejoin the pack.

The Italian Lidl-Trek rider needs a wheel change after picking up a flat. He will face a stressful fight back on as the pace goes up a few notches ahead of the finale.

Burgos duo Aparicio and Chumil are back in the pack after their box-ticking exercise of a breakaway attempt.

Well, they’re in their own region and failed to make the initial break, so it’s no surprise to see the wildcard team roll the dice. Burgos Burpellet BH duo Mario Aparicio and Sergio Chumil take advantage of this lull to zip clear of the pack and open up a small gap. As a result, Alpecin-Deceuninck come to the front to lead the chase.

The pace has eased and it’s all bunched back up together after that brief flirtation with chaos and confusion earlier. The reality is that the wind is not strong enough for sustained echelons, and now the focus is back on getting to the finish safely and the expected sprint.

Both Almeida and Vingegaard are alert to the dangers and near the front of the pack. Otruba, our brave solo escapees, has been put out of his misery, and we should see a zippier race now for the remaining hour or so.

Lidl-Trek are on the front and driving the pace for their man in green, Mads Pedersen. And just as they leave Salamanca and have Otruba in their sights, the first splits occur with a few dozen riders caught out off the back.