The day after Joao Almeida conquered L’Angliru, it was Marc Soler’s turn to shine for UAE Team Emirates-XRG on La Farrapona. The Spanish attacker delivered a masterclass performance to claim a summit he had previously settled for second on behind David Gaudu in 2020. On stage 14 of La Vuelta 2025, he joined the breakaway again and dropped his rivals with 16 km to go. Soler is the fourth different stage winner for the Emirati outfit in this edition, bringing their tally to seven stage wins - the best score this century in a single edition of the Spanish Grand Tour, surpassing Quick-Step Floors’ six victories in 2017. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) rounded out the day’s podium, finishing 39 seconds behind and confirming they are the two main contenders for La Roja with eight stages to go.
On the day after L’Angliru, another emblematic Asturias summit awaits the riders, with a gruelling finish at La Farrapona, after overcoming mighty ascents such as L’Alto Tenebreo and the Puertu de San Llaurienzu. The stage is short - 135.9 km from Avilés - but it packs 3,805 m of elevation.
Another hard battle for a 24-man break
Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the first attacker of the day, at km 0, but he’s reeled in at km 12 after a flurry of attacks. After some 20 km of battle, a group of 22 attackers eventually emerge at the front, with the likes of Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike), Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), Jefferson Cepeda (Movistar), James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost), Kevin Vermaerke (Picnic PostNL)…
Campenaerts drops from the breakaway due to a mechanical, but he manages to make it back to the front at km 57, with Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL) by his side. In the meantime (km 43), Xabier Mikel Azparren (Q36.5) had also bridged the gap to the front of the race. That makes a total of 24 riders to lead the way.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG up the ante
Jonas Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike drive the bunch. The gap gradually increases to 5 minutes, and then 6 minutes after the first ascent of the day, Alto del Tenebreo (summit at km 69.5). Joao Almeida’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG react, with Ivo Oliveira, Domen Novak and Juan Ayuso setting the pace on the climb up Puertu de San Llaurenziu (10.1km at 8.5%).
At the front, James Shaw (EF Education-Lease a Bike) crests the summit first, with ten more attackers in his wake. The gap to the bunch is down to 3’20’’.
Soler’s masterclass
The attackers get back together just before the final climb to La Farrapona. Marc Soler immediately puts the hammer down. Johannes Staune-Mittet (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) tries to follow but the Spaniard attacker goes solo with 16 km to go. Meanwhile, UAE Team Emirates-XRG still drive the GC group
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe up the ante into the last 4 kilometres. But Soler is too far ahead. Despite an attack Jai Hindley’s attack in the final kilometre, the Spaniard takes his 4th La Vuelta stage win, his team’s 7th in this edition, 39 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Joao Almeida.
