Philipsen dominates 19th stage to complete Vuelta hat-trick, Vingegaard extends lead

Jasper Philipsen edged a bunch sprint to claim Vuelta a Espana stage 19 victory on Friday racking up his third win of the race.

General classification leader Jonas Vingegaard extended his lead on Joao Almeida by four seconds to 44 seconds overall as he claimed a bonus on the intermediate sprint.

After an individual time trial on Thursday that was shortened for security reasons, riders travelled a flat 162 kilometres from Rueda to Guijuelo, past vineyards and quiet countryside.

Cycling’s third grand tour has been heavily affected by pro-Palestinian protests, mainly targeting the Israel-Premier Tech team, but this was a calm day’s racing.

Jakub Otruba and Victor Guernalec formed the day’s two-man break, with the peloton letting them go during a relaxed start.

Otruba dropped Guernalec and pushed on alone, into a headwind, around four minutes ahead of the peloton.

Vingegaard grabbed a four bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint as he edged Mads Pedersen, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and Almeida, both caught on their heels.

With around 50km remaining, Otruba was swallowed by the peloton, who travelled in unison towards Guijuelo, jostling for position ahead of the expected bunch-sprint finale.

Pedersen went early but Belgian Philipsen held him off comfortably to complete a Vuelta hat-trick, following the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider’s triumphs on stages one and eight. Orluis Aular came in third behind Pedersen.

“It was a final kilometre all-out... I was suffering on the wheel, but then I saw the finish line and so I pushed through,” said Philipsen.

“Of course, we’ll try to keep the winning flow going... we hope to repeat it on Sunday because it’s been a tough three weeks.”

Despite being pipped by Philipsen, Danish rider Pedersen is virtually guaranteed victory in the points battle, leading Vingegaard by 100 with two stages remaining.

On Saturday, riders face the daunting final mountain stage, running 166km from Robledo de Chavela to Bola del Mundo, where the general classification battle between Vingegaard and Almeida will be resolved.

“I’ve seen the finish there on television, it looks super steep, it looks brutal to be honest,” said Vingegaard.

The race concludes on Sunday with a flat run into Madrid, with security ramped up because of large anticipated pro-Palestinian protests.

Del Toro tiiumphs at Coppa Sabatini: Isaac Del Toro added the Coppa Sabatini to his rapidly growing list of victories, taking his third win in Italy in as many days and cementing an outstanding run for UAE Team Emirates–XRG.

Del Toro delivered a commanding performance in the finale, breaking away from a lead group of three riders in the closing kilometres.

His decisive surge on the tough, undulating circuits around Peccioli underlined both his strength and tactical sharpness, leaving his rivals unable to respond.

With 7 km to go he launched a decisive move, and in the final uphill charge he outpowered Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Ben Granger (MG.K Vis Construzioni e Ambiente) to cross the line first.

The 197.6 km route featured repeated rolling terrain and select climbs, culminating in a demanding finale that favoured aggressive riding and sharp tactics.

Early in the race, a breakaway of ten riders went clear and built a lead of more than four minutes. As the race progressed and the gaps began to close, UAE Team Emirates–XRG positioned Del Toro ideally, with his late attack coming at precisely the right moment, combining strength and timing to take the victory.

Del Toro said: “It’s an amazing feeling to finish this week with three wins in Italy. I felt strong in the final and when I saw an opportunity, I committed. The team rode brilliantly—positioning me, keeping me protected, and making sure I could deliver in the finale. To win here in Peccioli, in this race, means a lot.”

Agencies