Wout van Aert achieved his fourth stage victory in his career at the Vuelta a España on Friday, while Enric Mas maintained his lead in the overall standings.
On a scorching day in southern Spain, Van Aert triumphed over fellow breakaway competitor Valentin Paret-Peintre in the challenging 192-kilometer route from Almuñécar to Loja.
The accomplished Belgian cyclist finished the race in just over four and a half hours. This victory marks Van Aert’s first in the current edition of the Vuelta, following three stage wins in 2024. His extensive list of achievements includes ten stages at the Tour de France and numerous prestigious one-day races. Additionally, this marked the fourth stage win for Team Visma Lease a Bike in this year’s event.
Enric Mas, representing Movistar, successfully retained the red jersey, finishing with a lead of one minute and 45 seconds over the four-time champion Primoz Roglic. They crossed the finish line approximately three minutes after Van Aert.
Competitors faced extreme temperatures, with the mercury hitting 36°C (97°F) in Loja at the stage’s conclusion. One rider likened the heat to having a “hairdryer blowing in your face,” while another mentioned the need to continually douse himself with water throughout the day.
Sepp Kuss, an American cyclist with Visma Lease a Bike, described the stage as particularly grueling due to both the heat and the intense pace. Speaking to RTVE in fluent Spanish, he said, “If you attempted to launch an attack, you would just crack. However, we all had to race under the same conditions. I must also express my gratitude to the organizers for adding extra water stations; without that, it would have been impossible.”
Mas has held the lead since the withdrawal of Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar, who crashed last Saturday. Having finished as the runner-up in the Vuelta three times (2018, 2021, and 2022), Mas aims to become the first Spanish rider to win the event since Alberto Contador in 2014. His chances of success may hinge on establishing a sufficient lead to withstand Roglič during the crucial time trial on stage 18.
Stage 13 took place just south of Granada, with the three-week race concluding on September 13. On Saturday, riders will tackle a 154-kilometer (95-mile) stage from Jaén to Sierra de la Pandera. Mas stated, “Our objective for tomorrow is simply to maintain the red jersey for another day.”
This year’s Vuelta is exclusively held in southern Spain, lacking the traditional mountain stages found in the greener northern regions of the country.
In a separate event, Olav Kooij secured a narrow victory over Tim Merlier in a hectic sprint finish during stage three of the Tour of Britain held in Beverley. Kooij, who began his sprint from further back in the pack, capitalized on Merlier being trapped in a tight position, allowing Kooij to seize the opportunity on the left side. By the time Merlier found space to respond, it was too late.
This victory marked Kooij’s eighth stage win in this race, placing him second in the Tour of Britain’s all-time standings alongside Edvald Boasson Hagen, just two wins shy of the record held by Sir Mark Cavendish.
Following another sprint finish at the conclusion of the 181-kilometer stage from Hull, stage one winner Lewis Askey continues to lead the overall standings, holding a 12-second advantage over Tim Wellens, with Matteo Trentin trailing by an additional seven seconds in third place.
