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Belgian rider Wout van Aert claimed his first stage win of the 2025 Vuelta a España after breaking clear with Aurelien Paret-Peintre on stage 13, while Enric Mas retained his overall advantage.
Wout van Aert secured his first stage victory of the current Vuelta a España on Friday, outsprinting French rider Aurelien Paret-Peintre after the pair escaped from a breakaway group during the 192.8 kilometre 13th stage from Almunecar to Loja.
The 31-year-old Belgian rider, who rides for Visma, proved the stronger of the two in the final dash to the line, claiming the fourth Vuelta stage win of his career. His previous three stage successes at the Spanish Grand Tour all came during the 2024 edition. Britain's Matthew Brennan, already a three-time stage winner in this race, finished 24 seconds behind the leading duo after winning the sprint for third place.
Enric Mas retained the overall leader's red jersey, keeping his position at the head of the general classification since race favourite Tadej Pogačar abandoned during the eighth stage following a crash. Mas finished safely inside the main peloton and held a one minute and 45 second advantage over four-time champion Primož Roglič.
Austrian rider Felix Gall remained third overall at a further 21 seconds behind Roglič, while former Giro d'Italia winner Richard Carapaz sat in fourth place, three minutes and 53 seconds off the red jersey. Van Aert was part of a large early breakaway group on a stage played out under intense Andalusian heat, before a smaller group of ten riders pulled clear and consolidated their gap on the descent from the day's final climb with 37 kilometres remaining.
The decisive move came with 3.5 kilometres to go when Van Aert attacked, and only Paret-Peintre was able to follow his wheel until the final 100 metres, where the Belgian powered away for the victory. Van Aert, who famously beat Pogačar at Paris-Roubaix earlier this season, also holds a commanding lead in the points classification heading into the final week of racing.
Irish riders Eddie Dunbar and Darren Rafferty both featured in the stage, with Dunbar finishing 21st and Rafferty crossing the line in 136th place. In the general classification, Dunbar moved to 45th overall while Rafferty sits 116th. The peloton faces another demanding day in the mountains on Saturday with the 14th stage, a 154.5 kilometre route from Jaen to La Pandera.
The parcours includes two category-two climbs before a category-one summit finish that is expected to test the general classification contenders once again. The mountainous terrain of southern Spain continues to shape the race as the Vuelta approaches its conclusion, with the high-altitude finishes offering opportunities for the climbers to challenge Mas's grip on the red jersey
Vuelta A España Wout Van Aert Enric Mas Cycling Primoz Roglic
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