OFFICIAL Stage 17 Results

[Laurens De Jong]

Hello, Vuelta a España Gamers!

 

STAGE Grade: A-

 

I rate today’s stage an A-. To my surprise, we got the summit finish we were promised. No rain, no protests, just a good old race up a mighty mountain. The general classification was a tale of two standings: the top nine remained the same, almost everyone else moved up or down! And Red Bull - BORA – hansgrohe, let me tell you, these guys delivered a masterclass of team tactics in today’s stage of the 2025 Vuelta a España.  

 

Route: 4/5         GC: 3/5             Tactics: 3/5       Sprint: 3/5         Surprises: 4/5

 

 

Let’s have a look at that Red Bull - BORA – hansgrohe teamwork today. Cycling is a team sport. Red Bull has their team complete and most of their riders can be dedicated to their objective today: ride for their GC guys, Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari.

 

And that’s what they did! At the bottom of the final climb, the peloton was closing in on the breakaway. Team Visma | Lease-a-Bike had done most of the work, protecting the red jersey. But in the final kilometers before the climb, it was all Red Bull. They had a plan!

 

Making the race as hard as they could. Drop as many riders as possible. And then try to have two riders left in the front group.

 

Dropped by the Red Bull assault: Junior Lecerf, Juan Ayuso, Felix Gall, Torsten Træen. And lots more. When the race reached the blackened slopes of the Alto de El Morredero, it was just Hindley, Pellizzari, Tom Pidcock, Matthew Riccitello, Jonas Vingegaard, and João Almeida. Even Visma had sacrificed their domestiques.

 

Red Bull’s game is now: attack with either rider, and the other rider covers any counterattacks. Do that as many times as you can. You win the stage.

 

And that’s exactly what they did. Magnificent. Pellizzari launched the second attack, and it was the one that counted. Hindley kept chasing after whomever was trying to bridge. Riccitello tried, Pidcock tried. Everyone was brought back by Hindley.

 

Pellizzari won the stage. There was an almighty sprint for second: Pidcock, then Hindley, then Vingegaard. Maybe I should rate this stage an A.

 

Now, masterclass or not: if Almeida or Vingegaard had truly attacked from that chase group, Pellizzari would have been caught. Vingegaard didn’t. He said afterward he was at the limit and couldn’t. I don’t believe that for a second. Vingegaard should do as little as possible for as long as possible He did that today. Of course, you should also proclaim loudly that you were doing as much as possible. But he’s not fooling us.

 

Almeida, on the other hand. He was dropped a few times from that lead group. He kept coming back, but I do think he was on the limit. He’s done more work in the front than Vingegaard. Not enough teammates. It’s going to be nearly impossible for Almeida to win the 2025 Vuelta a España. If he couldn’t crack Vingegaard here, he’s not going to crack him on the Bola del Mundo on Saturday.

 

Giovanni Aleotti is our focus rider today. Picked only by Team Kate, he finished 51^st, fifteen minutes down. But that’s not the story of the day.

 

Aleotti is 26 and he races for Red Bull - BORA – hansgrohe. In 2022 he won stages in Romania’s Sibiu Cycling Tour and the overall victory. Same in 2024 in the Tour of Slovenia. But he’s a domestique. Five times he raced in the Giro d’Italia, and this is his second Vuelta a España. Last year he helped Primož Roglič win the Vuelta.

 

He’s here to help Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari. Today he pulled the leader’s group until 11 kilometers from the end. Pulled the plug, came to a complete standstill. The road leveled off a little bit after that point, but he had done the hard work on the steepest parts of the early climb: 12% according to the roadbook.

 

That’s life for a 26-year-old pro cyclist. Lead the race as hard as you can. Drop out. Somehow recover. Finish fifteen minutes behind the guys you just paced up the 12% climb. A pro cyclist’s life. Nobody tells you that when you’re a junior cyclist.

 

For the record: eleven kilometers from the top is a long distance for your leaders to be without domestiques. Pellizzari and Hindley had the legs to solve that problem, and Red Bull was simply out of domestiques. But it was a bit risky. The only weak part of Red Bull’s masterclass.

 

Aleotti was not the weakest link in the Red Bull chain. Even so, he scored zero points for Team Kate.

 

Watch the final kilometer HERE.

Watch the official La Vuelta highlights HERE.

Watch the extended NBC Sports highlights HERE.

Read the TNT Sports report HERE.

 

The differences in points weren’t big today. Five teams had eight riders in the Top-25, and just 50 points separated first from seventh. Still, almost everyone in the standings moved up or down, so let’s go through the results of the day.

 

Team Dominic scored another day victory. Most points from the stage, most points from classifications, most points overall, most riders in the Top-25 (eight): the grand slam. They’re now third. Team Charles came very close but had to settle for second — also with eight riders in the Top-25. They’re now the new leaders.

 

Team Tadej took third and are now fifth. Team Samuel had eight riders in the Top-25, enough for fourth today and eight overall.

 

Team Grace were next, in fifth, also with eight riders in the Top-25. They remain eighth. In sixth place today were Team Ansel, with eight riders in the Top-25. The former leaders are now second.

 

Seventh were Team Amalia, now ninth in the standings. Eighth were Team Will, they improve to tenth. Team Hugo and Team Josh shared ninth place. They are now fourth and sixth, respectively.

 

Team Sam were eleventh, that’s also were they are overall right now. Team Syliva in twelfth today remain thirteenth. And Team Liz in thirteenth today remain twelfth.

 

Thursday’s time trial was shortened from 27 kilometers to just 12.2 kilometers. The organizers wanted to make sure they could secure the route. Fair enough. It’s unlikely that this short stage can shake up the general classification, so the only question is: will Filippo Ganna win the stage? The answer is: yes.

 

Standings after stage 17:

 

Rank	Name	Points	WAS	MOVES
1	Team Charles*	3029	2	1
2	Team Ansel*	3015	1	-1
3	Team Dominic*	2982	4	1
4	Team Hugo*	2906	3	-1
5	Team Tadej*	2820	6	1
6	Team Josh*	2805	5	-1
7	Team Grace*	2743	7	0
8	Team Samuel*	2735	9	1
9	Team Amalia*	2724	8	-1
10	Team Will*	2242	11	1
11	Team Sam*	2233	10	-1
12	Team Liz*	1991	12	0
13	Team Sylvia*	1964	13	0

 

Standings after stage 17 (including adults):

 

Rank	Name	Points	WAS	MOVES
1	Team Kari	3337	1	0
2	Team Kent	3252	2	0
3	Team Craig	3176	3	0
4	Team Charles*	3029	5	1
5	Team Ansel*	3015	4	-1
6	Team Mitchinson	2997	6	0
7	Team Feng	2990	7	0
8	Team Dominic*	2982	10	2
9	Team Adam	2978	8	-1
10	Team Chuck	2951	11	1
11	Team Corsa	2914	12	1
12	Team Hugo*	2906	9	-3
13	Team Tadej*	2820	14	1
14	Team Josh*	2805	13	-1
15	Team Corey	2777	16	1
16	Team Amelia	2769	15	-1
17	Team Grace*	2743	18	1
18	Team Samuel*	2735	20	2
19	Team Amalia*	2724	19	0
20	Team Laurens	2723	17	-3
21	Team Rob	2594	21	0
22	Team Joe	2509	22	0
23	Team Jonwaine	2491	23	0
24	Team Julie	2489	24	0
25	Team John	2398	25	0
26	Team Wes	2386	26	0
27	Team Will*	2242	28	1
28	Team Sam*	2233	27	-1
29	Team JB	2116	29	0
30	Team Doug	2027	30	0
31	Team Liz*	1991	31	0
32	Team Sylvia*	1964	32	0
33	Team Kate	904	33	0

 

Complete breakdown of points from stage 17:

 

Name	STAGE RESULTS	RED JERSEY	GREEN JERSEY	POLKA DOT JERSEY	WHITE JERSEY	POINTS/CLASS	TOTAL	PREVIOUS	CUM. TOTAL
Team Amalia*	155	39	8	7	5	59	214	2510	2724
Team Ansel*	156	40	13	11	0	64	220	2795	3015
Team Charles*	187	46	13	6	5	70	257	2772	3029
Team Dominic*	188	48	13	6	5	72	260	2722	2982
Team Grace*	160	43	8	11	0	62	222	2521	2743
Team Hugo*	124	35	13	11	0	59	183	2723	2906
Team Josh*	124	35	13	11	0	59	183	2622	2805
Team Liz*	88	27	9	11	0	47	135	1856	1991
Team Sam*	130	31	10	11	0	52	182	2051	2233
Team Samuel*	160	43	12	11	0	66	226	2509	2735
Team Sylvia*	117	34	4	12	0	50	167	1797	1964
Team Tadej*	162	42	13	6	9	70	232	2588	2820
Team Will*	154	43	4	6	0	53	207	2035	2242

 

Complete breakdown of points from stage 17 (including adults):

 

Name	STAGE RESULTS	RED JERSEY	GREEN JERSEY	POLKA DOT JERSEY	WHITE JERSEY	POINTS/CLASS	TOTAL	PREVIOUS	CUM. TOTAL
Team Adam	165	45	8	7	5	65	230	2748	2978
Team Amalia*	155	39	8	7	5	59	214	2510	2724
Team Amelia	122	31	13	11	5	60	182	2587	2769
Team Ansel*	156	40	13	11	0	64	220	2795	3015
Team Charles*	187	46	13	6	5	70	257	2772	3029
Team Chuck	176	44	10	11	5	70	246	2705	2951
Team Corey	169	38	7	12	0	57	226	2551	2777
Team Corsa	154	43	13	7	0	63	217	2697	2914
Team Craig	182	45	13	7	9	74	256	2920	3176
Team Dominic*	188	48	13	6	5	72	260	2722	2982
Team Doug	121	27	10	5	0	42	163	1864	2027
Team Feng	163	43	13	6	0	62	225	2765	2990
Team Grace*	160	43	8	11	0	62	222	2521	2743
Team Hugo*	124	35	13	11	0	59	183	2723	2906
Team JB	135	38	7	7	0	52	187	1929	2116
Team Joe	118	28	13	12	0	53	171	2338	2509
Team John	109	31	12	6	0	49	158	2240	2398
Team Jonwaine	153	34	10	9	0	53	206	2285	2491
Team Josh*	124	35	13	11	0	59	183	2622	2805
Team Julie	152	35	12	11	3	61	213	2276	2489
Team Kari	209	53	13	6	9	81	290	3047	3337
Team Kate	72	16	0	0	0	16	88	816	904
Team Kent	182	49	13	11	9	82	264	2988	3252
Team Laurens	142	34	13	6	5	58	200	2523	2723
Team Liz*	88	27	9	11	0	47	135	1856	1991
Team Mitchinson	160	43	13	12	0	68	228	2769	2997
Team Rob	133	32	13	6	4	55	188	2406	2594
Team Sam*	130	31	10	11	0	52	182	2051	2233
Team Samuel*	160	43	12	11	0	66	226	2509	2735
Team Sylvia*	117	34	4	12	0	50	167	1797	1964
Team Tadej*	162	42	13	6	9	70	232	2588	2820
Team Wes	115	31	8	11	0	50	165	2221	2386
Team Will*	154	43	4	6	0	53	207	2035	2242

 

¡Viva la Vuelta!

 

-Laurens.