Wout van Aert Powers to Stage 13 Victory at La Vuelta 26
ALMUÑÉCAR > LOJA (September 4, 2026) – Stage 13 of La Vuelta 26 delivered a spectacular battle among the stage hunters, with relentless attacks lighting up the 192.8-kilometre route from Almuñécar to Loja. After a demanding day over 3,404 metres of climbing, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) made his decisive move with 3.5 kilometres remaining.
Only Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) could follow the Belgian, but Van Aert proved too strong in the final sprint. Wearing the green jersey, he claimed his first victory of La Vuelta 26 after winning three stages in the race two years earlier.
It was an especially successful day for Visma-Lease a Bike, as Matthew Brennan finished third after also being part of the 43-rider breakaway. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) was another major presence in the break and gained more than two minutes on his general classification rivals, moving into position ahead of the next day’s mountain showdown at Sierra de la Pandera.
A 43-Rider Breakaway Forms
The stage began in Almuñécar, the hometown of Carlos Rodriguez, and immediately produced a fierce battle to establish the breakaway. The route featured several demanding climbs, beginning with the category 1 Alto de la Venta de la Cebada, followed by the category 2 Alto del Legionario and Puerto de Granada before the final 50 kilometres.
A large group of riders fought their way clear on the Alto de la Venta de la Cebada. Van Aert led Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) over the summit at kilometer 31.2.
After the climb, 43 riders had established the day’s breakaway. Along with Van Aert and Buitrago, the group included Brennan, Andreas Leknessund, Andreas Kron, Magnus Cort and Simon Dalby (Uno-X Mobility).
Skjelmose was the biggest general classification threat in the move. The Dane had started the stage seventh overall, 8:05 behind the race leader.
Attacks Continue Throughout the Day
The breakaway continued to battle for position as EF Education-EasyPost and Movistar controlled the pace in the peloton.
On the Alto del Legionario, with the summit at kilometer 83.4, 11 riders attacked the front group. Axel Laurance (Netcompany Ineos) crashed, leaving 10 riders at the head of the race: Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Emirates XRG), Brennan, Léo Bisiaux, Clément Berthet, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet (Groupama-FDJ United), Kron, Leknessund, Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Cristian Rodriguez (XDS Astana) and Lars Craps (Lotto Intermarché).
The 10 leaders reached the final climb of the day, Puerto de Granada, with a 40-second advantage over the chasing riders and 4:50 over the peloton. With Skjelmose in the move, he moved into fourth place in the virtual general classification.
Netcompany Ineos, with Oscar Onley, worked with Movistar in the peloton to reduce the gap.
Van Aert Makes the Difference
The race came back together toward the top of the Puerto de Granada. Van Aert, Buitrago, Laurance, Skjelmose, Dalby, Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Paret-Peintre and Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step), along with Jarno Widar (Lotto Intermarché), were among the riders to bridge toward the front.
More riders returned on the descent, but Visma-Lease a Bike soon forced another selection. Van Aert and Brennan made the move along with Fisher-Black, Vermaerke, Bisiaux, Paret-Peintre, Dalby, Albanese and Widar.
The attacks continued as the reduced group approached Loja, but Van Aert and Brennan kept the situation under control.
With 3.5 kilometres remaining, Van Aert launched his decisive attack. Paret-Peintre was the only rider able to stay with him.
The Frenchman opened the sprint, but Van Aert had the strength to come around him and take the stage victory. Brennan completed the podium in third, giving Visma-Lease a Bike two riders in the top three.
The peloton finished three minutes behind the breakaway, while Skjelmose crossed the line 2:10 ahead of the main group.
The result gave Van Aert his first stage victory of La Vuelta 26, while Skjelmose’s gain of more than two minutes set up an intriguing battle heading into the following day’s difficult mountain stage to Sierra de la Pandera.
Stage 13 Video Highlights:
Stage 13 Results:
| 1 | W. VAN AERT | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 04h 34′ 00” | – | B : 10” | – |
| 2 | V. PARET PEINTRE | SOUDAL QUICK-STEP | 04h 34′ 00” | – | B : 6” | – |
| 3 | J. BRENNAN | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 04h 34′ 24” | + 00h 00′ 24” | B : 10” | – |
| 4 | J. WIDAR | LOTTO INTERMARCHE | 04h 34′ 24” | + 00h 00′ 24” | – | – |
| 5 | V. ALBANESE | EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST | 04h 34′ 24” | + 00h 00′ 24” | – | – |
| 6 | F. FISHER – BLACK | RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE | 04h 34′ 24” | + 00h 00′ 24” | – | – |
| 7 | K. VERMAERKE | UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG | 04h 34′ 24” | + 00h 00′ 24” | – | – |
| 8 | L. BISIAUX | DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM | 04h 34′ 28” | + 00h 00′ 28” | – | – |
| 9 | S. DALBY | UNO-X MOBILITY | 04h 34′ 32” | + 00h 00′ 32” | – | – |
| 10 | F. ZANA | SOUDAL QUICK-STEP | 04h 34′ 45” | + 00h 00′ 45” | – | – |
General Classification after Stage 13:
| 1 | E. MAS | MOVISTAR TEAM | 45h 08′ 51” | – | B : 22” | – |
| 2 | P. ROGLIC | RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE | 45h 10′ 36” | + 00h 01′ 45” | B : 4” | – |
| 3 | F. GALL | DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM | 45h 10′ 57” | + 00h 02′ 06” | B : 8” | – |
| 4 | R. CARAPAZ | EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST | 45h 12′ 44” | + 00h 03′ 53” | – | – |
| 5 | O. ONLEY | NETCOMPANY INEOS CYCLING TEAM | 45h 13′ 20” | + 00h 04′ 29” | B : 10” | – |
| 6 | J. OMRZEL | BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS | 45h 13′ 50” | + 00h 04′ 59” | B : 10” | – |
| 7 | M. SKJELMOSE | LIDL-TREK | 45h 14′ 23” | + 00h 05′ 32” | B : 2” | – |
| 8 | S. KUSS | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 45h 16′ 49” | + 00h 07′ 58” | – | – |
| 9 | H. TEJADA | XDS ASTANA TEAM | 45h 17′ 24” | + 00h 08′ 33” | – | – |
| 10 | C. BERTHET | GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED | 45h 19′ 57” | + 00h 11′ 06” | – | – |
