Soler wins another stage for UAE Emirates, but Vingegaard keeps Spanish Vuelta lead

By Canadian Press on September 6, 2025.

LA FARRAPONA, Spain (AP) — Marc Soler of Spain won the mountainous 14th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Saturday while Jonas Vingegaard kept the race lead with a week to go.

UAE Emirates, which is without star rider Tadej Pogačar, has now won half of the stages at this year’s Vuelta, including the last four.

Soler dropped his last challenger on the final push up the category-one La Farrapona ascent and maintained his distance from Vingegaard’s group with the other title hopefuls.

He finished the 136-kilometer (84-mile) stage — which started in Aviles and took the peloton over the green hills of northern Spain — in 3 hours, 48 minutes. It was the 31-year-old Soler’s fourth stage win at a Vuelta.

Vingegaard, of Visma-Lease a Bike, finished second, barely edging top rival João Almeida at the finish line. The two-time Tour de France winner leads Almeida by 48 seconds. Almeida won the race’s queen stage finishing atop the L’Agliru summit on Friday.

Israeli team removes name from kit

The stage start was delayed by a few minutes by another pro-Palestinian protest that have targeted the Israel Premier Tech team. The team started Saturday’s stage wearing new kits without the team name, apparently to reduce the visibility of their riders.

More Palestinian flags were seen among the national flags waved by fans lining the final stretch of the ascent to the finish line.

Stage 15 is a hilly 168-kilometer (104-mile) ride from A Veiga to Monforte de Lemos in northwestern Spain.

The three-week Grand Tour ends in Madrid on Sept. 14.

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

The Associated Press

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