Guijuelo: The 2025 Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) cycle race will largely be decided in Saturday's mountain stage, which ends with the 2,250-meter-high climb to the 'Bola del Mundo' after Friday's stage 19 ended in a sprint finish.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the relatively flat 161-kilometer ride from Rueda to Guijuelo, regions known for their wine and cured ham, offered one of the few remaining chances for sprinters. For much of the day, the peloton rolled at under 40 kilometers an hour as both Visma and UAE conserved energy for Saturday's decisive showdown. The pace surged in the final 40 kilometers, with teams shutting down every breakaway attempt to set up a bunch sprint.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) demonstrated his prowess as the fastest sprinter in the race, claiming his third stage of La Vuelta. He finished two bike-lengths ahead of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek).

Philipsen remarked, "After 11 stages without going deep, it was a really tough finish," adding that he was "looking forward to a repeat on Sunday's last stage."

The sprint did not alter the overall standings of race favorites Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease-A-Bike) or Joao Almeida (UAE-Team Emirates-XRG). However, Vingegaard caught Almeida's UAE team off guard at the intermediate sprint in Salamanca, securing four bonus seconds that extended his lead over the Portuguese rider to 44 seconds.

La Vuelta will conclude on Sunday in Madrid.