Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard, from Visma | Lease a Bike team wins the ninth stage of La Vuelta from Alfaro to Valdezcaray, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Danish rider Vingegaard goes up where skiers go down to win the Spanish Vuelta’s 9th stage

VALDEZCARAY, Spain (AP) — Jonas Vingegaard attacked with 11 kilometers to go and finished strongly to win the ninth stage of the Spanish Vuelta and consolidate his status as the race favorite on Sunday.

The Danish rider finished 24 seconds ahead of Tom Pidcock and João Almeida as he cut Norwegian rider Torstein Træen’s overall lead to 37 seconds before the race’s first rest day on Monday.

Træen was 1:46 off the pace in 17th on Sunday.

It’s the 40th career stage win for Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner, who wasn’t daunted by the heavy rain or uphill finish at the ski resort of Valdezcaray.

Sunday’s stage took the riders on a hilly 195.5 kilometer (121.5-mile) route from Alfaro to the category-one finish. The race finishes in Madrid on Sept. 14.

Vingegaard is favored to win his first Vuelta after top rival Tadej Pogačar and four-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic both opted to skip the race.

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Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard, from Visma | Lease a Bike team wins the ninth stage of La Vuelta from Alfaro to Valdezcaray, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard, from Visma | Lease a Bike team celebrates at the podium after wining the ninth stage of La Vuelta from Alfaro to Valdezcaray, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard, from Visma | Lease a Bike team celebrates at the podium after wining the ninth stage of La Vuelta from Alfaro to Valdezcaray, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard, from Visma | Lease a Bike team celebrates at the podium after wining the ninth stage of La Vuelta from Alfaro to Valdezcaray, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

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