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![BENIFATO, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 06: Santiago Buitrago of Colombia and Team Bahrain - Victorious celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 76th Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2025, Stage 2 a 166km stage from La Nucia to Benifato 1033m on February 06, 2025 in Benifato, Spain. (Photo by Szymon Gruchalski/Getty Images)]()
Buitrago wins level 2 up Alto de Partegat(Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)![BENIFATO, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 06: Santiago Buitrago of Colombia and Team Bahrain - Victorious competes during the 76th Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2025, Stage 2 a 166km stage from La Nucia to Benifato 1033m on February 06, 2025 in Benifato, Spain. (Photo by Szymon Gruchalski/Getty Images)]()
Santiago Buitrago on level 2(Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)![The day's breakaway on stage 2 of the Volta a Valenciana 2025]()
The day’s breakaway on level 2 of the Volta a Valenciana 2025(Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)![The peloton on stage 2 of the Volta a Valenciana 2025]()
The peloton on level 2 of the Volta a Valenciana 2025(Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)![The peloton on stage 2 of the Volta a Valenciana 2025]()
The peloton on level 2 of the Volta a Valenciana 2025(Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)![Lidl-Trek's Mathias Vacek produced a stunning fight to maintain his overall lead]()
Lidl-Trek’s Mathias Vacek produced a shocking battle to care for his general lead(Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)![Tobias Foss launched a solo move as Ineos Grenadiers commit to more aggressive racing]()
Tobias Foss introduced a solo transfer as Ineos Grenadiers decide to extra competitive racing (Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)![UAE Team Emirates-XRG led the peloton for their leaders McNulty and Almeida]()
UAE Crew Emirates-XRG led the peloton for his or her leaders McNulty and Almeida(Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)
Santiago Buitrago gave Bahrain Victorious their first win of 2025 at the Alto de Partegat hilltop end on the Volta a Valenciana, catching and passing teammate Pello Bilbao within the ultimate kilometre.
The Colombian used to be in a position to sit down at the wheels as the opposite groups chased Bilbao after which jumped away, to make sure victory for his staff.
Bilbao completed 8 seconds down on Buitrago, with a robust João Almeida (UAE Crew Emirates-XRG) 3rd at 13 seconds. The opposite big-name general contenders had been scattered throughout a minute.
Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) went deep to check out to stay the chief’s yellow jersey. He completed thirteenth, handiest 57 seconds down on Buitrago and so stored the race lead through only a few seconds, due to Lidl-Trek’s dominant victory within the level 1 staff time trial.
Almeida is handiest two seconds down on Vacek, with Buitrago 3rd general at 5 seconds.
Bahrain Victorious misplaced 1:11 to Lidl-Trek within the level 1 staff time trial however Buitrago and Bilbao pulled again time on a lot of his general competitors earlier than extra hilly levels to Alpuente after which Portell de Morella.
The way it opened up
The 166km moment level from Los angeles Nucía to Benifato (Font de Partegat) visited the educational roads many riders use all through wintry weather coaching camps close to the Costa Blanca, Alicante and the Valencia area.
The early climbs made an ideal springboard for assaults earlier than a experience alongside the sea coast and again into the hills.
Riders from the USA Mission Echelon Racing staff had been lively and went at the assault however 5 riders sooner or later were given away and got their freedom. They had been Samuele Zoccarato (Polti VisitMalta), Matyáš Kopecký (Crew Novo Nordisk), Sinuhé Fernández (Burgos Burpellet BH), Quentin Bezza (Wagner Bazin WB) and Vicente Rojas (VF Team-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè).
Zoccarato changed into the digital race lead as Lidl-Trek managed the peloton and allowed the wreck to open a four-minute lead.
The race modified with 65km to head when the race hit the Coll de Charges, the now well-known coaching climb, the place Tadej Pogačar took the Strava report in December with a staff effort and strong experience.
UAE Crew Emirates-XRG and particularly Ivo Oliveira took over at the entrance of the peloton, decreasing the space to the breakaway. The wreck quickly fell aside at the climb, with handiest Kopecký and Fernández staying transparent. They made it excessive of the climb however had been inside of sight at the rapid, sweeping descent.
The peloton got here again along side 25km to head as the overall climb neared. The 5.5km Benimantell shaped step one as much as the end, with the following climb to Alto de Partegat some 4.3km lengthy however at 9.4%.
Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) took off on my own at this level because the British staff lived as much as their promise to race extra aggressively. He opened a 20-second hole and compelled rival groups to turn their hand. At the back of, Almeida rode at the entrance, splitting the chase staff and hurting everybody, as many riders suffered on their 2025 debut and primary large race effort.
Foss made it to the Benimantell KOM however Almeida’s surge sooner or later drew out Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) and Iván Romeo (Movistar). They then jumped throughout to Foss and the trio started the Alto de Partegat with a handful of seconds.
The trio opened a 15-second hole and appeared more likely to keep transparent however Almeida did some extra large turns and refused to allow them to cross. Foss after which Romeo cracked however Bilbao driven on and appeared in keep watch over, even supposing the space fell regularly because the gradient steepened.
In all probability ordered through his Bahrain Victorious staff automotive or instinctively, Buitrago took off on my own with 600 metres to head. He dropped Almeida and everybody else, cruelly surged previous Bilbao and gained the level.
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Buitrago wins level 2 up Alto de Partegat(Symbol credit score: Getty Pictures)
