Jay Vine has won the first real mountain stage in the Vuelta a España. The Australian from UAE Emirates proved strongest from an early breakaway. Torstein Traeen, who finished second in the stage, took the leader’s jersey from Jonas Vingegaard. Among the favorites, Juan Ayuso was the biggest loser: the Spaniard cracked early on the final climb and lost a lot of time.
On Thursday, the Vuelta peloton faced a 170-kilometer stage through the rugged heart of the Pyrenees. The route went from Olot to Pal in Andorra. After entering Andorra, two climbs awaited. The Alto de la Comella (4.3 km at 7.5%) was the first of the two, followed by the final climb to Pal (9.7 km at 6.4%). This climb was not the toughest of the race; the steepest slopes halfway up reached around 9 to 10% gradients.
Olot)
Pal Andorra)Almost immediately after the start, climbing was required. On the Collada de Sentigosa (11.1 km at 4.2%), a breakaway of ten formed after some time. This group included Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step), Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and Jay Vine (UAE Emirates XRG), who was first over the third-category climb. Also in the break: Torstein Træen (Bahrain Victorious), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R), Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana), Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal Quick-Step), James Shaw, Archie Ryan (EF Education-EasyPost), and Pablo Castrillo (Movistar).
Vine breaks away from the lead group; Træen chases the red jersey
Although Visma | Lease a Bike set the pace at the front of the peloton, the gap for the ten leaders steadily increased. At the foot of the Alto de la Comella, their maximum lead of nearly seven minutes had shrunk to just under six minutes. Jay Vine was first over that climb, and the Australian continued his attack afterwards. By the time he hit the final climb to Pal, he already had a one-minute advantage on the chasers.
Debruyne leads the breakaway group - photo: Cor Vos
Meanwhile, it briefly seemed that João Almeida was struggling on the Alto de la Comella, but it turned out to be a mechanical issue. The Portuguese rider was able to rejoin the peloton before the summit. That peloton began the final climb five minutes behind Vine. The UAE Emirates rider had a strong chance for the stage win, although Træen was not giving up. The Norwegian from Bahrain Victorious started chasing. Træen had more to fight for, as he was the best-placed rider in the early break, trailing Jonas Vingegaard by 58 seconds. He made a serious attempt at the red jersey.
He wouldn’t win the stage, as Vine was untouchable. The Australian clinched his third career Vuelta stage victory after previously winning two stages in the Spanish Grand Tour back in 2022. Træen crossed the line second and secured the red jersey with his strong performance. The main favorites would finish well behind the minute he needed to gain.
Ayuso cracks early.
While Vine took the win, there was also disappointing news for UAE Emirates XRG: Juan Ayuso was the first among the favorites to drop off. The Spaniard, who was considered one of Jonas Vingegaard's main challengers before the race, cracked just under five kilometers from the finish and would only cross the line 62nd. Giulio Ciccone, who set the pace on the final climb for his Lidl-Trek teammates, clearly had better legs. He launched a decisive attack two and a half kilometers from the finish, shaking up the favorites group.
Vingegaard immediately followed his wheel, while the others didn't respond right away. But under the impetus of Almeida, the other contenders came back. Almeida then launched an attack himself, creating some separation. Around ten riders regrouped in the last kilometer. Sepp Kuss was among them, and the American took the front. A sprint followed, won by Almeida. This happened 28 seconds before a group including Mikel Landa, Ben O'Connor, and David Gaudu crossed the line. They, along with Ayuso, were the big losers among the GC contenders.
Vuelta a España| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 04:12:36 | |
| 2 | + 54 | |
| 3 | + 01:10 | |
| 4 | + 01:15 | |
| 5 | + 01:52 | |
| 6 | + 02:05 | |
| 7 | + 02:15 | |
| 8 | + 02:19 | |
| 9 | + 02:42 | |
| 10 | + 04:19 |
