Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has donned the first red leader's jersey of La Vuelta 2025 after winning the sprint on Saturday in the first stage of the Spanish race, a 186.1-kilometer race between the Italian towns of Turin and Novara.
The Belgian sprinter, who only managed to compete in three stages of the 2025 Tour de France—where he briefly wore the yellow jersey—before a crash ended his adventure, signed up for La Vuelta at the last minute and showed his strength on the finish in Novara.
Thanks to a great start from his team, Philipsen crossed the finish line first, ahead of Britain's Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) and Venezuela's Orluis Aular (Movistar). Now, after adding bonuses, he leads the standings by four seconds over Vernon and Dutchman Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-Quick-Step), who dominated the intermediate sprint.
The Spanish Tour will begin its second stage this Sunday, still on Italian soil, covering 159.6 kilometers between the town of Alba and the ski resort of Limone Piemonte. It will be the first mountain finish of the race, following a predominantly flat route with 5% final gradients.
