By Canadian Press on August 24, 2025.
LIMONE PIEMONTE, Italy (AP) — Jonas Vingegaard finished strongly to win the second stage of the Spanish Vuelta in Italy on Sunday, justifying his status as the favorite in Tadej Pogačar’s absence. Vingegaard was involved in a big crash involving many riders — including his Team Visma-Lease a Bike teammates — but he rejoined the peloton with blood on his left elbow. The Danish rider finished just ahead of Giulio Ciccone in a mass sprint for the line on the mountain-top finish at Limone Piemonte near the French border. The opening stages are being held in northern Italy before Stage 4 dips across into France, and the Vuelta then shifts to Spain, where it will avoid any racing in the south, before its traditional finish in Madrid. The race’s 80th edition features eight summit finishes in the high mountains, including the highly anticipated climb of L’Angliru on Stage 13, which could prove decisive. Pogačar, who won the Tour de France, and four-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic both opted to skip the race. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports The Associated Press 10