UAE Team Emirates-XRG Secures Three Victories In Opening Week Of La Vuelta A Espana

UAE Team Emirates-XRG has made a strong impression in the opening week of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana. Over nine days across Italy, Spain, and Andorra, they secured three consecutive victories. Joao Almeida emerged as a key contender for the red jersey. The team's performance began with Stage 2 in Italy, where Almeida and Ayuso finished fifth and eighth, respectively, on rain-soaked roads.

The team achieved their first stage win in Spain during the Figueres team time trial. UAE Team Emirates-XRG demonstrated precision and speed, averaging nearly 57 km/h over 24 km to beat Visma Lease-a-Bike by eight seconds. Domen Novak and Ivo Oliveira set the pace early on, followed by Vine and Großschartner. Mikkel Bjerg powered through the final kilometre alongside Almeida, Ayuso, and Soler.

Momentum continued into Andorra, where Jay Vine excelled on familiar terrain with a solo victory on his home roads. He joined the day's breakaway and attacked on La Comella's descent before holding off chasers on the final climb. This win earned him the polka-dot jersey of the King of the Mountains. Meanwhile, Almeida closely monitored Jonas Vingegaard and Giulio Ciccone's moves.

In Cerler, Ayuso bounced back from a challenging Stage 6 with an impressive attack 9.5 km from the finish line to secure his first La Vuelta stage win of the season. Vine played a crucial role by collecting more KOM points before setting up Ayuso's decisive move. Almeida consistently matched accelerations with top contenders while Soler gained time with a late attack.

The team maintained their position at the top of the general classification with composure as Stage 8 concluded without incident. João Almeida safely crossed the line within the peloton while Jay Vine retained his hold on the polka-dot jersey. However, Stage 9 presented a tougher challenge at its summit finish.

Almeida showcased resilience among elite competitors by climbing to third place behind overall leader Torstein Træen and Jonas Vingegaard. He enters his first rest day in third place overall at 1'15" off red while Vine continues leading mountains classification.

Looking Ahead

With Vine leading King of Mountains standings and Soler showing strength on home roads alongside Almeida matching high mountain elites' performances; UAE Team Emirates-XRG ends week one strongly positioned for success ahead as they head into high mountains' second act along with decisive time trial opportunities awaiting them next week.

The squad aims to maintain momentum into upcoming stages while playing multiple cards strategically during battle for red jersey competition against rival teams throughout remaining race days ahead.

With inputs from WAM