Preview Tour of Valencia | A super strong field of contenders with a course to match

Earlier this week, cyclists were already racing in Spain: there was a race in Mallorca and Valencia. After the GP Castellón and the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana on Wednesday, it is time for the Tour of Valencia. The five-day stage race is a staple on the calendar, and this year, we will enjoy a superb field of contenders, so there is plenty to look forward to. IDLProCycling.com gives you a preview!

After a seven-year break, the Tour of Valencia returned in 2016. Since then, the stage race has been packed with great names, and this is reflected in the overall winners: for example, Tadej Pogacar won the race in 2020, Alejandro Valverde won it in 2018, Wout Poels won there in 2016, and Brandon McNulty added the race to his palmares last year.

Practical information Tour of Valencia 2025

• Wednesday, February 5 - Sunday, February 9
• Participants
• Classification: 2.Pro

Latest winners Tour of Valencia

2024 Brandon McNulty
2023 Rui Costa
2022 Aleksandr Vlasov
2021 Stefan Küng
2020 Tadej Pogacar
2019 Ion Izagirre
2018 Alejandro Valverde
2017 Nairo Quintana
2016 Wout Poels
2008 Rubén Plaza

Stage 1 Tour of Valencia 2025 (TTT): Orihuela - Orihuela (34.3 km)

A time trial in Valencia is rare. The last trial in the stage race was in 2019, and the previous team time trial was even longer before that. However, things have changed. Now, the teams have to cover 34.3 kilometers in a relatively flat stage test.

Favorites
UAE Team Emirates
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
INEOS Grenadiers

Times
Start: 08:41 AM EST
Finish: approx. 11:00 AM EST

Stage 2 Tour of Valencia 2025: La Nuciá - Benifato (166 km)

Stage two, the first stage in the line, is bang on. The riders cover a hilly course that includes the famous Coll de Rates, the most cycled mountain of the winter. The finale is nothing but climbing: after a second category mountain, including a bonus sprint, the riders must finish on top of Benifato. This climb is 4.3 kilometers long and as much as 9.5% steep: this will be a glorious battle this early in the season.

Favorites
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Ben O'Connor (Jayco-AlUla)
Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)

Times
Start: 06:43 AM EST
Finish: approx. 11:00 AM EST

Stage 3 Tour of Valencia 2025: Algemesí - Alpuente (180.3 km)

The riders will not be allowed to recover in stage 3. The stage from Algemesi to Alpuente is long and quite dotted with mountains. After a hilly middle section (with the Alto de Alcubias and Peñas de Dios as categorized mountains), the peloton heads to Chelva, where they begin El Remedio, a first-category mountain. After this ordeal of 7.9 kilometers at 6.5 percent, a 22-kilometer stage follows where it is not flat for a moment. If the race bursts open on the final col, it will be a spectacle in the tricky end.

Favorites
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious)
Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers)
Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Times
Start: 06:07 AM EST
Finish: approx. 11:00 AM EST

Stage 4 Tour of Valencia 2025: Oropesa del Mar - Portell de Morella (181 kilometers)

Finally, a stage for the sprinters, right? The finale is not tough, with a little hill here and there but nothing for the fast men on duty to worry about. Still, the program has over 3,500 meters of elevation, most of the entire lap. Especially in the first half of the longest stage of this edition, there will be plenty of climbing. Should the sprinters get their chance, it will ultimately depend on the course of the race.

Favorites
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Gerben Thijssen (Intermarcé-Wanty)

Times
Start: 06:14 AM EST
Finish: approx. 11 AM EST

Stage 5 Tour of Valencia 2025: Alfafar - Valencia (104 km)

There might have been doubts about a sprint finish on Saturday, but there certainly won't be one for the final stage, which is 104 kilometers long and has an elevation of 87 meters. The last 20 kilometers are along the coast, so the wind might still play a role here.

Favorites
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Gerben Thijssen (Intermarcé-Wanty)  

Weather Tour of Valencia 2025

A fantastic weather forecast awaits the riders in southern Spain. The temperature fluctuates between 14 and 16 degrees, and it remains dry—the perfect conditions for testing the legs. The wind will also remain relatively gentle around Valencia.

Read more below the photo!

Favorites Tour of Valencia 2025

We can count on a superb field of contenders in the south of Spain: this wouldn't be out of place even in a grand tour. UAE Team Emirates-XRG has João Almeida and last year's winner Brandon McNulty. The competition is breathing down their necks, and most teams can bet on several riders. Bahrain-Victorious, for example, is sending a real trident in Santiago Buitrago, Pello Bilbao, and Lenny Martinez. In addition, Rainer Kepplinger rode particularly strong in the AlUla Tour.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe may still keep Primoz Roglic on the sidelines, but the German team has no shortage of quality with Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov. Thymen Arensman will wear number one at INEOS Grenadiers, but that could just as quickly have been Carlos Rodriguez. Jayco-AlUla is especially eager to see what their new leader, Ben O'Connor, can do, but with Filippo Zana, the Australian team also has an extra man to gamble on.

Read more below the photo!

Javier Romo, who comes fresh from Australia with his first pro win in his pocket, will be at the start for Movistar. On the Spanish team, seeing what new acquisition Pablo Castrillo can do in southern Spain will be interesting. And what can we expect from Joe Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech)? The young British rider is eager to prove his worth at the highest level.

Who are the favorites for the Tour of Valencia 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites: João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Ben O'Connor (Jayco-AlUla), Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers)
Outsiders: Jai Hindley, Aleksandr Vlasov (both Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Santiago Buitrago, Pello Bilbao (both Bahrain-Victorious))
Longshots: Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Lenny Martinez, Rainer Kepplinger (both Bahrain-Victorious), Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla), Javier Romo, Pablo Castrillo (both Team Movistar), Joe Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech)

TV broadcast Tour of Valencia 2025

Hooray, cycling on TV! The Tour of Valencia will be broadcast on Eurosport. On Wednesday, the broadcast starts at 10:05 AM EST. On Saturday and Sunday, it starts a little later, but you can watch the race as early as 9:30 AM EST on the other days. On HBO Max, the broadcast starts at 9:30 AM EST every day.

Read also

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