Benifato, Bebruary 6, 2025
The Colombian rider dominated at the finish line on the Alto de Partegat, while Czech cyclist Mathias Vacek resisted the attacks and kept the leader’s jersey by a narrow margin
The second stage of the 2025 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana did not disappoint. Starting in La Nucia and finishing at the challenging Alto de Partegat, the stage was marked by a fierce battle among the favorites and a spectacular finale on the final climb. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) claimed a dominant victory after launching a decisive attack during the ascent. Meanwhile, Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) managed to stay with the chasing group and, despite losing some time at the finish line, retained the leader’s jersey with a slim advantage over his rivals.
From kilometer 11, a group of five riders attempted to break away from the peloton. Samuele Zoccarato (Team Polti VisitMalta), Vicente Rojas (VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè), Sinuhe Fernández (Burgos Burpellet BH), Quentin Bezza (Wagner-Bazin WB), and Matyáš Kopecký (Team Novo Nordisk) gained the lead and built up an advantage of more than four minutes in the middle section of the stage.
The first mountain challenge of the day, the Coll de Rates, reduced the breakaway group, leaving Kopecký and Fernández at the front. However, the peloton, driven by UAE Team Emirates XRG and Lidl-Trek, steadily began to close the gap.
With 24 kilometers remaining, the peloton regrouped, neutralizing the last two escapees, and the stage finale was left in the hands of the top contenders. On the climb to Puerto de Benimantell, Tobias Foss (INEOS Grenadiers) launched a powerful attack, gaining up to 20 seconds on the chasing group. However, with six kilometers to go, Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) and Iván Romeo (Movistar Team) caught up with the Norwegian, forming a leading trio.
With just four kilometers to the finish, Foss could not keep up the pace, leaving Bilbao alone at the front, with the peloton closing in at less than 30 seconds. UAE Team Emirates, led by Joao Almeida and Brandon McNulty, increased the pace on the final climb.
Buitrago, the Strongest on the Final Climb to Partegat
In the last 500 meters, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) launched a decisive attack, overtaking his teammate Bilbao and crossing the finish line solo with a time of 4:07:54. Bilbao held on to second place, 9 seconds behind, while Almeida rounded out the podium at 13 seconds.
Further back, Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), the general classification leader, managed to defend his jersey, finishing 57 seconds behind the stage winner and maintaining a slim lead of just three seconds over Almeida and five seconds over Buitrago in the overall standings.
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 2 results
- Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) 4:07:54
- Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) +9″
- João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +13″
General classification after Stage 2
- Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek)4:48:10
- João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +2″
- Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) +5″
