Santiago Buitrago conquers the Queen Stage and takes the lead in the 2025 VCV

Portell de Morella, february 5, 2025. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) claimed victory in the Queen Stage of the 2025 Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana with a stunning performance in the final kilometers. The Colombian secured his second stage win in this edition and donned the yellow jersey after launching a decisive attack in the closing meters, surpassing Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Jakob Söderqvist (Uno-X) at the finish line. With this triumph, Buitrago dethrones João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and becomes the new overall leader, just one stage away from the end of the competition.

The stage began with multiple breakaway attempts until Jon Agirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma), and Hugo Houle (Israel – Premier Tech) managed to establish the day’s breakaway. The peloton, controlled by UAE Team Emirates, Lidl-Trek, and BahrainVictorious, allowed the gap to extend to eight minutes before initiating the chase.

In the second half of the stage, Pablo Castrillo (Movistar Team) attacked from the peloton and successfully bridged to the breakaway riders, dropping them one by one until he was left alone in the lead. Castrillo bravely held on, but he was caught by the main group with 9 km to go, just as Jefferson Cepeda (Movistar Team) attempted a late surprise attack.

Buitrago’s masterstroke to take the yellow jersey
With the peloton surging forward and preparing for a sprint finish, Santiago Buitrago seized a moment of hesitation among the favorites and launched his decisive attack. The Colombian gained an unassailable lead, crossing the finish line with a time of 4:53:30, 12 seconds ahead of Jonathan Milan, who won the sprint in the chasing group, and Jakob Söderqvist, who finished third.

With this performance, Buitrago becomes the new overall leader, holding an 8-second advantage over João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and 29 seconds over his teammate Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious).

Start in Oropesa
The day’s stage saw the presence of several dignitaries at the start in Oropesa del Mar, including Marta Barrachina (President of the Castellón Provincial Council), Araceli de Moya (Mayor of Oropesa), and Ángel Casero (General Director of the VCV).

Final stage: Everything will be decided on the last day
Tomorrow, the fifth and final stage of the 2025 Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana will take place, where Buitrago must defend his lead against attacks from Almeida and Bilbao, his main challengers. With a demanding course and open tactical possibilities, the race’s outcome promises to be thrillin.

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