All the excitement of the nineteenth stage of the Vuelta España came in the finale, the Rueda - Guijuelo stage of 161.9 km: the head-to-head between Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen on the final straight was truly thrilling and saw the Belgian prevail, overtaking the Danish green jersey wearer, with Venezuelan Aular finishing third.

Much of the day was characterized by the solo attack of Jakub Otruba (Caja Rural) who managed to stay ahead of the peloton with a maximum advantage of 4 minutes. The breakaway, which started immediately after the official start, also included French rider Victor Guernalec (Arkea B&B Hotels) who practically surrendered after a few kilometers. After maintaining a steady pace throughout the stage, the group suddenly accelerated near the Salamanca intermediate sprint, where Jonas Vingegaard managed to grab the 4" bonus. Shortly after, at 51.2 km from the finish, Otruba's attack ended.

The last 50 km of the race were marked by repeated attacks, with UAE Team Emirates XRG and Visma Lease a Bike repeatedly increasing the pace and trying to create echelons. Around 40 km from the finish, we noted the attack by Mario Aparicio and Sergio Geovani Chumil, both riders from the Burgos team, who managed to gain up to 20" advantage. The total absence of mountain passes or any significant climbs forced the general classification teams to keep their leaders at the front.

Alpecin Deceuninck was the team that moved most effectively, controlling the day and successfully launching Philipsen in the final kilometer. On the slightly uphill road, the Belgian successfully countered Mads Pedersen's attack and thus secured his third stage win in this Vuelta.

Jonas Vingegaard maintains the red jersey as overall leader, extending his lead by 4" thanks to the intermediate sprint bonus. The Danish rider's (and his direct competitors') sleep will be anything but peaceful, as tomorrow's Vuelta could be completely turned upside down. Tomorrow will feature the twentieth stage starting from Robedo de Chavela and finishing at the feared Bola del Mundo.

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STAGE RESULTS

1 Philipsen Jasper Alpecin-Deceuninck 03:50:35

2 Pedersen Mads Lidl-Trek + 00

3 Aular Orluis Movistar Team + 00

4 Biermans Jenthe ARKEA-B&B HOTELS + 00

5 Turner Ben INEOS Grenadiers + 00

6 Marit Arne Intermarchè-Wanty + 00

7 Christen Fabio Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team + 00

8 Vernon Ethan Israel-Premier Tech + 00

9 Gruel Thibaud Groupama-FDJ + 00

10 Labrosse Jordan Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team + 00

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1 Vingegaard Jonas Team Visma | Lease a Bike 68:57:44

2 Almeida João UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 44

3 Pidcock Tom Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team + 02:43

4 Hindley Jai Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe + 03:22

5 Pellizzari Giulio Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe + 04:23

6 Riccitello Matthew Israel-Premier Tech + 05:21

7 Gall Felix Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team + 05:24

8 Kuss Sepp Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 07:30

9 Træen Torstein Bahrain Victorious + 07:46

10 Jorgenson Matteo Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 10:21