At the Giro d'Italia he came very close with three second-place finishes, at the Vuelta a España 2026 he got the job done at the first real opportunity: on top of Aramón Valdelinares, after a 149.8 km stage, Andreas Leknessund celebrates, bringing to completion a breakaway that started at km 0. The Uno-X Mobility party is completed by Tobias Halland Johannessen, second, while third place went to a lively and improving Wout Van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike).

Among the big names, the battle erupts only in the final kilometers, with an attack from Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), to which the red jersey Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) responded without problems, who in the end gained 5" on the Austrian, 15" on Enric Mas (Movistar), a bit less brilliant than yesterday, 29" on Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos) and Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike). A complicated day for Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), who in a couple of kilometers loses 1'22" to the Slovenian and almost a minute to all other podium contenders, losing 3 positions in the general classification.

THE RACE - Right after the start, Wout Van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) springs away like a coiled spring, followed by Milan Vader (Pinarello Q36.5) and Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility). Vader loses contact a few kilometers later, while the others continue their action and are caught on the Puerto El Remolcador also by Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5), Alexey Lutsenko (NSN), who has just announced his retirement at the end of the year, and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility).

Behind the quintet, a group of 22 athletes forms instead, with Carlos Canal, Raúl García Pierna (Movistar), Bruno Armirail (Visma | Lease a Bike), Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM), Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5), Ben Turner (Netcompany Ineos), Pello Bilbao, Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious); Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Guillaume Martin, Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ United), Alexey Lutsenko (NSN), Valentin Paret-Peintre, Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Sergio Samitier, Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Koen Bouwman, Finlay Pickering (Jayco AlUla), Juan Felipe Rodriguez (EF Education-EasyPost), Marco Brenner, Larry Warbasse (Tudor), Timo De Jong (Picnic PostNL), Iván Sosa and Mats Wenzel (Equipo Kern Pharma). These, however, never manage to get too close to the breakaway riders, who continue at a good pace and in harmony.

Thus, at the foot of the final climb, the 5 breakaway riders still have more than a minute on the chasers, and the battle for the stage victory narrows down to them. Uno-X immediately moves Leknessund, who with a very long gear ratio makes the difference, immediately giving the impression of being unstoppable. Behind, Van Aert reacts, marked by Johannessen, who is good at marking him and then dropping him in the final, giving a stunning double to Uno-X, now winner of a stage in all three Grand Tours (Dversnes at the Giro, Wærenskjold at the Tour). A Norwegian hasn't won a stage at the Vuelta since 2010, when Thor Hushovd won in Murcia.

Not only that, the victory comes on a special day for Norway, as King Harald V died today: he was 89 years old and had reigned since 1991.

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STAGE RESULTS

1) Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) 3:49:47
2) Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +0:34
3) Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +0:47
4) Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain - Victorious) +0:58
5) Juan Felipe Rodriguez (EF Education - EasyPost) +1:13
6) Iván Ramiro Sosa (Equipo Kern Pharma) +1:16
7) Alexey Lutsenko (NSN Cycling Team) +1:44
8) Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) +1:51
9) Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +1:53
10) Raúl García Pierna (Movistar Team) +2:14
11) Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) +2:43
12) Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step) +2:55
13) Larry Warbasse (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) s.t.
14) Guillaume Martin (Groupama - FDJ United) +2:57
15) Sergio Samitier (Cofidis) +3:01
16) Finlay Pickering (Team Jayco AlUla) +3:24
17) Koen Bouwman (Team Jayco AlUla) +4:05
18) Mats Wenzel (Equipo Kern Pharma) s.t.
19) Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) +4:23
20) Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +4:29
21) Enric Mas (Movistar Team) +4:39
22) Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +4:52
23) Primož Roglič (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) s.t.
24) Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) s.t.
25) Gregor Mühlberger (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +5:16
26) Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) s.t.
27) Harold Tejada (XDS Astana Team) +5:39
28) Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl - Trek) +5:42
29) Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana Team) s.t.
30) Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost) +5:45

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1) Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) 19:32:37
2) Enric Mas (Movistar Team) +3:50
3) Primož Roglič (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) +4:50
4) Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +5:01
5) Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +6:05
6) Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) +6:06
7) Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost) +6:12
8) Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl - Trek) +7:17
9) Harold Tejada (XDS Astana Team) +7:46
10) Gregor Mühlberger (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +9:29