Pablo Castrillo triumphs in stage 12 of Vuelta a España, Max Poole finishes second

Vuelta-a-Espana-Pablo-Castrillo-holds-off-four-chasers-and-wins-stage-12-atop-Manzaneda

Pablo Castrillo claimed a dramatic victory on stage 12 of the Vuelta a España, conquering the mountainous terrain at Estacion de Montaña de Manzaneda. The 23-year-old Spaniard from Equipo Kern Pharma launched a decisive attack with 10km to go, holding off the chasers to secure the first Grand Tour stage win of his career.

The stage, which covered 137.5km from Ourense to the mountain resort, saw Castrillo move clear of a strong breakaway group and establish a lead of over 30 seconds with 4km remaining. Despite a valiant chase led by British rider Max Poole, who was riding for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, Castrillo held on to take the win by eight seconds.

“It’s an amazing victory, it’s unbelievable. It’s for the team and for the staff,” Castrillo said after crossing the line, visibly emotional. He dedicated the victory to his team and former president Manolo Azcona, who passed away the previous night. “Honestly, I still don’t believe it. I’ve won my first stage at the Vuelta. I’m going to dedicate the victory to my team, my family, and a very special person, Azcona.”

Max Poole, who finished second, reflected on the day with a mix of pride and frustration. “We gave it a good go again today. Ineos had two guys in the break, so I think it’s normal that everyone looked at them to close the gap in the final, but in the end, Castrillo was strong, and he held on,” Poole remarked. “You have to race the final and go with what you think in that moment, and maybe take some risks. Immediately after the stage, there are always going to be these feelings of disappointment, but maybe I can soak it in later and be pleased with it.”

Marc Soler of UAE Team Emirates completed the podium, finishing third after being part of the breakaway throughout the stage.

Race leader Ben O’Connor maintained his overall lead, finishing safely within the main group of general classification contenders, who crossed the line 6:29 behind Castrillo. O’Connor commented on the challenging day, saying, “It was a tricky start, it was actually really hard. And then we just controlled the race, made some pace on the final climb.”

As the Vuelta moves into stage 13, a tougher test awaits the riders with a 176km route from Lugo to Puerto de Ancares, featuring four categorised climbs. The race for the red jersey remains intense, with Primož Roglič and Enric Mas still within striking distance of O’Connor’s lead.

2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 12 result

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Main photo credit: Getty