Wout van Aert claimed his second stage victory at the Vuelta a España today, triumphing in a reduced group sprint at the end of the 180.5km stage from Archidona to Cordoba. The Belgian rider also solidified his lead in the green jersey competition, outpacing Mathias Vacek to the finish line after a day of strategic racing and team collaboration.
The decisive moment of the stage came on the Alto del 14%, the only categorised climb of the day. Visma-Lease A Bike, Van Aert’s team, worked to thin out the peloton, while Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe aimed to put pressure on the general classification contenders. By the time the summit was reached, the peloton had been whittled down to a select group of around 20 riders, with Van Aert still in contention.
Sepp Kuss, Van Aert’s teammate and the defending Vuelta champion, played a crucial role in the final kilometres, particularly on the descent and flat run-in to Cordoba. Kuss explained that it had been a “suffer-fest” to reel in late attacker Marc Soler, especially in the soaring 40-degree heat. Despite his light build, Kuss pulled strongly on the flat, ultimately helping to neutralise Soler’s attack with just 3.5km remaining.
Van Aert was full of praise for Kuss after the stage, highlighting the significance of his contribution. “On the top, I found myself alone with Sepp Kuss in the front group, so it was really difficult to manage, but Sepp did an amazing job,” Van Aert said. “I don’t know if people realise what it’s like when you’re below 60kg and you do that kind of pull on the flat. I had goosebumps on the wheel and I just wanted to finish it off, so this is a really big one.”
The sprint finish saw Van Aert launch his bid for victory with 200 metres to go, easily holding off Vacek, while Pau Miquel took third place. The win not only extended Van Aert’s points classification lead but also demonstrated the strength of his team.
Earlier in the day, the race had seen a solo breakaway from Xabier Isasa of Euskaltel-Euskadi, who managed to build a lead of up to nine minutes. However, with the breakaway posing little threat, it was reined in well before the final climb, setting the stage for the decisive moves in the closing kilometres.
Ben O’Connor, who donned the red jersey as the overall leader, managed to defend his position despite pressure from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. O’Connor finished in the front group, though his rival Primož Roglič was able to claw back six seconds by taking bonus points at the summit of the Alto del 14%.
O’Connor, speaking after the stage, remained resolute about his chances of maintaining the race lead. “It’s obvious, anyone would do it, you never throw it away, it’s all in for the red jersey until it comes off my shoulders—maybe it won’t,” he said.
As the Vuelta heads into its first major mountain stages, the competition is set to intensify, with both Van Aert and O’Connor aiming to hold onto their respective jerseys.
2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 7 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
