
Belgian Wout van Aert got the better of a two-man sprint after a breakaway to win his first stage at the Vuelta a España 2026 on Friday, while home rider Enric Mas maintained his overall lead.
Visma-Lease a Bike's Van Aert and Valentin Paret-Peintre attacked from a breakaway late in the 192.8-kilometer 13th stage from Almunecar to Loja.
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The 31-year-old Van Aert was too strong for the Frenchman in a sprint for the line, clinching the fourth Vuelta stage win of his career after three victories in 2024.
"I had (the attack) a little bit in my mind, yes," Van Aert said. "I saw the profile, and I knew there was this last kicker before coming into the village.
"This distance a lot of the time is the moment when people start to think about the sprint, and if you're able to open up a gap, then they don't want to close it for each other anymore."
Britain's Matthew Brennan, who has won three stages at this year's race, won the battle for third, 24 seconds behind the leading duo.
Mas, who has led the race since title favorite Tadej Pogačar crashed out during Stage 8, kept his 1 minute, 45 second overall lead ahead of four-time champion Primoz Roglic after finishing safely in the pack.
Austrian Felix Gall is 21 seconds further back in the final podium position, with past Giro d'Italia winner Richard Carapaz 3 minutes, 53 seconds off Mas' lead in fourth.
"It's tough, but we're in Andalusia, it's summer, with the heat," Mas said, before suggesting the idea of holding a riders' meeting about safety concerns if the heat continues to rise. "We'll definitely feel the effects of today's heat tomorrow."
Van Aert was part of a large breakaway group early on a day marked by intense heat in southern Spain.
A smaller group of 10 riders later pulled clear and consolidated their advantage on a descent from the day's final climb with 37 kilometers left.
Van Aert attacked with 3.7 kilometers remaining, and only Paret-Peintre managed to stay with him, until the last 100 meters.
Van Aert, who beat Pogačar at Paris-Roubaix earlier this year, also holds a commanding lead in the Points Classification.
The peloton faces another tough day in the mountains in Saturday's 14th stage, a 154.5-kilometer ride from Jaen to La Pandera that features two Category 2 climbs and a Category 1 summit finish.
Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 13 Results – Top 25
- Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 4:33:50 (B10)
- Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) – 4:33:54 (B6)
- Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 4:34:14 (B10)
- Jarno Widar (Lotto Intermarché) – 4:34:00
- Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education - EasyPost) – 4:34:00
- Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) – 4:34:00
- Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 4:34:00
- Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 4:34:28
- Filippo Zana (Uno-X Mobility) – 4:34:32
- Simon Dalby (Soudal Quick-Step) – 4:34:45
- Jesús Herrada (Burgos Burpellet BH) – 4:34:00
- Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility) – 4:34:00
- Sergio Samitier (Cofidis) – 4:34:00
- Gijs Leemreize (Team Picnic PostNL) – 4:34:00
- Iván Cobo (Equipo Kern Pharma) – 4:34:00
- Sylvain Moniquet (Cofidis) – 4:34:00
- Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana Team) – 4:33:56 (B4)
- Larry Warbasse (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 4:34:00
- Clément Berthet (Groupama - FDJ United) – 4:34:00
- Lars Craps (Lotto Intermarché) – 4:34:00
- Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – 4:34:00
- Guillaume Martin (Groupama - FDJ United) – 4:34:50
- Reuben Thompson (Lotto Intermarché) – 4:34:00
- Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl - Trek) – 4:34:00
- Mario Aparicio (Burgos Burpellet BH) – 4:34:00
Vuelta a España 2026 Overall Standings – Top 25 After Stage 13
- Enric Mas (Movistar Team) – 45:08:29 (B22)
- Primož Roglič (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) – 45:10:32 (B4)
- Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 45:10:49 (B8)
- Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost) – 45:12:44
- Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) – 45:13:10 (B10)
- Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain - Victorious) – 45:13:40 (B10)
- Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl - Trek) – 45:14:21 (B2)
- Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 45:16:29
- Clément Berthet (XDS Astana Team) – 45:17:24
- Harold Tejada (Groupama - FDJ United) – 45:19:57
- Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana Team) – 45:19:37 (B4)
- Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 45:22:27
- Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 45:26:06
- Jarno Widar (Lotto Intermarché) – 45:26:30 (B6)
- Guillaume Martin (Groupama - FDJ United) – 45:30:59
- Juan Felipe Rodriguez (EF Education - EasyPost) – 45:34:47
- Finlay Pickering (Team Jayco AlUla) – 45:39:25
- Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain - Victorious) – 45:46:27 (B10)
- Jan Hirt (NSN Cycling Team) – 45:48:33
- Mario Aparicio (Burgos Burpellet BH) – 45:49:29
- Raúl García Pierna (Movistar Team) – 45:52:52
- Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step) – 45:53:35
- Embret Svestad-Bårdseng (Netcompany INEOS) – 45:56:44
- Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) – 45:57:15 (B6)
- Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) – 45:59:10 (B6)
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