UAE Team Emirates-XRG Dominate Opening Two Weeks Of La Vuelta With Seven Stage Wins

• Jay Vine, Juan Ayuso, Marc Soler, and Joao Almeida light up the race with statement stage wins.
• Joao Almeida sits well poised in the general classification heading into crucial final week

News | Team - 9th September 2025

It has been a blistering edition of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Across the opening fifteen fays of racing, the team have delivered a statement of unrivalled authority - seven stage wins from four different riders, and Joao Almeida sitting just 48” back on Jonas Vingegaard in the general classification. A collective performance that once again underlines why UAE Team Emirates-XRG sit as the most dominant team of modern cycling.

The first strike came on Stage 4, the re-introduced team time trial in Figueres. Over 24KM of pure precision, UAE Team Emirates-XRG put on a masterclass, averaging nearly 57KMP to defeat Visma Lease-a-Bike by 8”. Novak and Oliveira laid a strong foundation, Vine and Großschartner carried the speed through the middle of the course, and Mikkel Bjerg unleashed a thunderous final kilometre as Almeida, Ayuso, and Soler crossed the line at his side. The team took the top step together, presenting themselves as the best team against the clock in the entire race.

Two days later, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG fans were celebrating again. On the familiar climbs of Andorra, Jay Vine attacked on the descent of La Comella, rode solo to the finish, and claimed his third career La Vuelta win, and with it came the polka-dot jersey. A commanding display on his home roads brought a well-deserved victory for the Australian, who celebrated with his family across the line.

The momentum was irresistible. In Cerler, Ayuso continued the party for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, launching a devastating attack 9.5KM from the line to deliver a third consecutive win for the team. After slipping out of the GC fight with a difficult ride on Stage 6, the Spaniard bounced back in trademark fashion, distancing a 13-man breakaway on the final climb and powering to the finish. It was his 7th victory of the season, and the team's 76th in what has already been a remarkable 2025 campaign.

After a brief pause for the sprinters, Jay Vine struck again. On a punishing mountainous stage, the Australian timed his move to perfection, launching with 5KM to go on the final climb. His powerful acceleration immediately put daylight between himself and the chasers, the gap stretching to over 30” as the summit neared. With the victory secured, Vine eased into the final kilometre, savouring every moment before raising his arms aloft for the second time in the 80th edition of La Vuelta.

Stage 12 once again delivered high-class racing and drama. After the neutralised finish caused by protests the day before, the race returned to full throttle from the outset, with the peloton splitting early. A select group of six forged clear, and from it Juan Ayuso and fellow Spaniard Javier Romo animated the finale. The pair drove the pace all the way to the line, but in the two-up sprint Ayuso proved the stronger, sealing his second stage victory of the race and joining Jay Vine as a double stage winner of the 2025 edition.

Then came the Angliru. With more than 4,000 metres of climbing packed into the stage, the day was always destined to shape the overall standings of the race. On the brutal ramps of Asturias, Joao Almeida time his move to perfection. Matching every attack from the favourites, he bided his time before launching his attack on the final moments of the stage, riding the red jersey off his wheel, and surging clear in the final metres. It was a monumental victory on one of cycling's most feared ascents, and a statement that Almeida's challenge for overall glory was only just beginning.

Stage 14 delivered yet more glory. This time, the moment belonged to Marc Soler. Granted freedom from the flag, he turned it into a flamboyant display only he could author. Escaping from the break, he attacked in the valley before the Alto de la Farrapona, holding off all pursuers in the headwind to deliver a fourth consecutive win for the team, and a seventh overall in the race.

The opening two weeks of this Vuelta have been defined by the dominance of one team, UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Seven stage wins, four different riders, and their leader Joao Almeida poised just 48” off red. The mission is not complete, gruelling mountain stages and a decisive time trial still await. But as the race hurtles into its final act, this is a La Vuelta that will live long in the memory.

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