After thirteen days of racing, Wout van Aert finally triumphs at the Vuelta España. The Belgian from Visma Lease a Bike, seen attacking multiple times over the last week and a half, found a way to celebrate at the Spanish stage race by winning the Almuñécar-Loja stage of 192.8 kilometers, a fraction where, once inserted into the day's breakaway and having executed the key selection along and after the final climb, he was able to raise his arms to the sky, surpassing in the decisive two-up sprint Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step).

The Frenchman, skillful in following the wheel of the champion from Herentals in the attack launched by his rival 3,700 meters from the finish, could do nothing against the explosive acceleration and hunger of the class of '94, who today reached four career victories at the Spanish Grand Tour and fifteen overall in the major stage races.

THE RACE

Immediately after the start from Almuñécar, Enzo Paleni (Groupama FDJ United), Domen Novak (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Fabio Van den Bossche (Soudal Quick-Step) and Asbørn Hellemose (Jayco AlUla) take off. On the four, Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) attempts a second effort but the Spaniard is quickly reabsorbed by the group which, in turn, reserves the same fate for the quartet.

In a counterattack, Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) and Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility) depart, on which, thanks to a crash that breaks up the group and costs the retirement of Gregor Mühlberger from Decathlon CMA CGM, twenty-six men quickly rejoin. Among these is also the green jersey wearer Wout van Aert (Visma Lease a Bike) who, while behind ten other men aggregate to the group of attackers, attempts the acceleration in tandem with Fortunato. The two, however, don't go far and shortly after are caught by the rest of the fugitives, thus forming a group of well 43 units: Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Wout van Aert, Bruno Armirail, Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike), Leo Bisiaux and Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM), David De la Cruz, Eddie Dunbar and Thomas Gloag (Pinarello Q36.5), Jack Haig, Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS), Pello Bilbao, Santiago Buitrago, Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Clement Berthet, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ United), Jan Hirt (NSN), Valentin Paret-Peintre, Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step), Magnus Cort, Andreas Kron Simon Dalby, Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), Sylvain Moniquet, Sergio Samitier (Cofidis), Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Will Barta, Stefan Küng, Larry Warbasse (Tudor), Lorenzo Fortunato, Cristian Rodriguez (XDS Astana), Jesus Herrada, Mario Aparicio (Burgos Burpellet BH), Jarno Widar, Lars Craps, Reuben Thompson (Lotto Intermarchè), Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL), Urko Berrade, Ivan Cobo, Iñigo Elosegui (Equipo Kern Pharma).

The agreement in such a numerous peloton, however, lasts little because, almost immediately, a wild phase of attacks and counterattacks begins which, in the end, rewards Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Emirates XRG), Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike), Axel Laurance (Netcompany Ineos), Clément Berthet, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet (Groupama-FDJ United), Andreas Kron, Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost) and Cristian Rodriguez (XDS Astana).

The nine, later becoming eleven with the return of Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon CGA CGM) and Lars Craps (Lotto Intermarchè), find strong cohesion and this allows them to progressively widen the gap against pursuers and the group which, for a long time, travel respectively with a deficit around 1'35" and over 4 minutes. On the final climb of the day, however, first the pace set by Armirail and then the selection operated by van Aert change the cards on the table, leading to the formation at the head of the race of a small group of 18 men.

They gain suddenly over 30 seconds on the remaining part of the attackers but the very open situation pushes Brennan and van Aert to launch into a series of attacks which, in the end, means that at the head only seven other riders remain with them: Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull), Kevin Vermaerke (UAE), Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal), Simon Dalby (Uno-X), Vincenzo Albanese (EF) and Jarno Widar (Lotto). Determined to play their cards, in the kilometers of descent and flat before the finish all try in turn to find the right moment to fly towards Loja but to see someone guess the most propitious instant, one must wait for the 3.7 kilometers from the finish when only Paret-Peintre manages to follow the violent acceleration of van Aert.

With the other seven flushed out, the Belgian and the Frenchman go to play for victory in a tight sprint which, as expected, smiles on the last winner of Paris-Roubaix who, after so much energy spent, finally manages to put his wheel ahead of everyone. Behind them, a sumptuous Brennan (masterful in closing promptly on the attacks of everyone in the final 20 kilometers) completes the day of celebration for the Belgian team by regulating in the sprint Widar and Albanese, first of the two Italians in the top ten today (Zana, 10th, the second), Fisher-Black and Vermaerke.

Arriving just under three minutes later is instead the selected red jersey group which, thanks to the pace set by the men of EF and Netcompany, reduces in the final the gap against the various fugitives of the day and, in particular, against Mattias Skjelmose who, closing in 24th position at 50" from van Aert, recovers 2'10" in the general classification without, however, climbing positions. Those who recover something, limiting the discussion to the top ten, are Harold Tejada and Clément Berthet who, thanks to the retirement of Mühlberger, climb respectively to ninth and tenth position on the eve of the Jaén-Sierra de la Pandera stage of 154.5 kilometers, a fraction with an uphill finish that could potentially give a new face to the standings.

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FINISH ORDER

1. Wout Van Aert (BEL/Visma Lease a Bike) - 4:34:00

2. Valentin Paret-Peintre (FRA/Soudal-Quick Step) - s.t.

3. Matthew Brennan (GBR/Visma Lease a Bike) at 0:24

4. Jarno Widar (BEL/Lotto Intermarchè) at 0:24

5. Vincenzo Albanese (ITA/EF Education-EasyPost) at 0:24

6. Finn Fisher-Black (NZL/Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) at 0:24

7. Kevin Vermaerke (USA/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at 0:24

8. Léo Bisiaux (FRA/Decathlon CMA CGM) at 0:28

9. Simon Dalby (DAN/Uno-X Mobility) at 0:32

10. Filippo Zana (ITA/Soudal Quick Step) at 0:45

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Enric Mas (SPA/Movistar) - 40:31:51

2. Primoz Roglic (SLO/Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) at 1:45

3. Felix Gall (AUT/Decathlon CMA CGM) at 2:06

4. Richard Carapaz (ECU/EF Education-EasyPost) at 3:53

5. Oscar Onley (GBR/Netcompany INEOS) at 4:29

6. Jakob Omrzel (SLO/Bahrain-Victorious) at 4:59

7. Mattias Skjelmose (DAN/Lidl-Trek) at 5:32

8. Sepp Kuss (USA/Visma Lease a Bike) at 7:58

9. Harold Tejada (COL/XDS Astana) at 8:33

10. Clément Berthet (FRA/Groupama-FDJ United) at 11:06

OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS

Points classification: Wout Van Aert (BEL/Visma Lease a Bike)

Mountain classification: Santiago Buitrago (COL/Bahrain-Victorious)

Best young rider classification: Oscar Onley (GBR/Netcompany INEOS)