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La Vuelta Stage 17: Pidcock Second on El Morredero

Stage 17 of La Vuelta a España turned into a showdown for the GC contenders on the Alto de El Morredero (8.8km at 9.5%) after 143.2km of racing from O Barco de Valdeorras. With mountain winds gusting above 40km/h and temperatures averaging 18°C, the race became one of excitement.

10 September 2025

Tom Pidcock once again rose to the challenge, finishing second on the stage behind Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) at an average speed of 39.594 km/h.

The final climb saw repeated accelerations. Hindley, Almeida and Vingegaard all tested the group, but Tom covered each move with composure. Pellizzari launched the winning attack with four kilometres remaining, carving a lead of nearly half a minute. Behind, the favourites hesitated, and the gap held.

In the final kilometre, Tom surged clear of the GC men to take second place, just ahead of Hindley and Vingegaard.

Stage 17 Results

Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) – 3:37:00
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – +0:16
Jai Hindley (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) – +0:18
Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +0:20
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) – +0:22
Matthew Riccitello (Israel – Premier Tech) – +0:26

General Classification after Stage 17

Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 64:53:55
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) – +0:50
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – +2:28
Jai Hindley (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) – +3:04
Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) – +3:51

After the finish, Tom reflected on the balance between chasing stage wins and fighting for the GC podium:

“I think that’s the sacrifice when riding for the podium – I sacrificed the stage. It could have been really nice, it’s a bit of a shame. But we’re racing for the podium and you have to make some sacrifices. We were all alone in the final apart from the Bora boys, who showed it.”

With his performance on El Morredero, Tom strengthens his grip on third overall in the general classification and keeps Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team in podium contention as La Vuelta enters its decisive final days.