Mads Pedersen takes Glory in Green on Stage 15 of the Vuelta

Pedersen beats his sprint rivals into Monforte de Lemos as Vingegaard keeps the red jersey heading into the second rest day

The morning in Vegadeo was calm, almost deceptively so. Riders rolled to the start line under soft Galician skies, knowing the road to Monforte de Lemos would be anything but gentle.At 167.8 km, with a Category 1 climb right out of the gate, it was a stage that whispered opportunity to the brave — and screamed danger to the careless.

The flag dropped, and chaos bloomed instantly. Jakub Otruba lit the fuse, attacking before the peloton had even settled into rhythm. The Puerto da Garganta tore the bunch apart, and by the summit, a staggering 47-rider breakaway had formed — a rare, almost surreal sight.

In that front group, the cast was star-studded: Mads Pedersen with a full Lidl–Trek entourage, Egan Bernal and Magnus Sheffield for Ineos, Santiago Buitrago for Bahrain Victorious, Orluis Aular for Movistar, and Jay Vine for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The GC heavyweights — Vingegaard, Almeida, Pidcock — stayed behind, content to let the day’s spoils go to others.

Mid-stage, Vine and Louis Vervaeke sensed hesitation and bolted. Their gap swelled to over three minutes, the chasers momentarily unsure whether to commit. But Lidl–Trek, smelling blood, began to grind the lead down.
Then came the bizarre — a lone protester darting into the road, flag in hand. Javier Romo hit the deck, the break’s rhythm shattered for a moment, but the race surged on.

With 7 km to go, the escapees were reeled in. The air was thick with tension — everyone knew Pedersen was the man to beat, but no one wanted to hand him the perfect lead-out. Marco Frigo jumped early, Sheffield tried to follow, only to crash in the final corner.

Pedersen, calm as a sniper, launched his sprint with 150 m left. Aular clung to his wheel, Frigo fought to hold position, but the Dane was untouchable. He threw his bike over the line, arms aloft — his fourth career Vuelta stage win, and a statement that Lidl–Trek’s patience had paid off.

Behind, the GC group rolled in over thirteen minutes later. The real battle for the overall would wait for the mountains still to come.

Vingegaard keeps the red jersey heading into the second rest day, with Almeida still within striking distance and Pidcock holding firm in third. The final week’s mountain stages will be decisive.

VIDEO: Stage 15 Highlights

Stage 15 of the 2025 Vuelta a España

1 Mads Pedersen Lidl–Trek                   4:02:13
2 Orluis Aular Movistar Team                 same time 
3 Marco Frigo Israel–Premier Tech        same time 
4 Santiago Buitrago Bahrain Victorious same time 
5 Eddie Dunbar  Team Jayco AlUla        same time 
6 Egan Bernal  Ineos Grenadiers           same time 
7 Louis Vervaeke  Soudal Quick-Step    same time 
8 Jay Vine  UAE Team Emirates-XRG   +0:08 
9 Magnus Sheffield Ineos Grenadiers    same time 
10 Alec Segaert Lotto Dstny                  +0:23 

GC after Stage 15 of the 2025 Vuelta a España

1 Jonas Vingegaard Visma–Lease a Bike        57h 35′ 33″
2 João Almeida UAE Team Emirates-XRG       +48″ 
3 Tom Pidcock Q36.5 Pro Cycling                    +2′ 38″
4 Jai Hindley Red Bull–Bora-Hansgrohe          +3′ 10″
5 Felix Gall Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale       +3′ 30″
6 Giulio Pellizzari  Red Bull–Bora-Hansgrohe  +4′ 21″
7 Matthew Riccitello Israel–Premier Tech         +4′ 53″ 
8 Sepp Kuss Visma–Lease a Bike                    +5′ 46″
9 Junior Lecerf  Soudal Quick-Step                  +5′ 49″
10 Enric Mas Movistar Team                            +6′ 05″