Campenaerts fourth after day in the breakaway in twelfth stage Vuelta a España

# Campenaerts Shines with Fourth Place in Grueling Twelfth Stage of Vuelta a España

In a thrilling twelfth stage of the Vuelta a España, Victor Campenaerts of Team Visma | Lease a Bike secured fourth place as the peloton made its way from Laredo to Los Corrales de Buelna over a demanding 145-kilometer route that featured two challenging climbs. A breakaway of twenty riders formed early in the stage, soon to be joined by a second group of thirty, which included Campenaerts himself.

On the final ascent, Campenaerts maintained his own pace before rejoining the chasing pack behind the leaders. The stage win was fiercely contested between Juan Ayuso and Javier Romo, culminating in Ayuso’s victory. As the finish approached, Campenaerts executed a surprise late attack, riding solo to clinch fourteenth place, just 17 seconds behind the leader.

Throughout the day, Team Visma | Lease a Bike effectively controlled the pace within the peloton, allowing their general classification riders, including Jonas Vingegaard, to stay focused and calm. Vingegaard maintains a solid lead over his closest rival, João Almeida, with a fifty-second advantage ahead of the next stage’s grueling ascend to Angliru.

“Tomorrow, we face a tough challenge,” remarked Vingegaard in anticipation. “The Angliru is a monstrous climb that I know well from my first Vuelta in 2020. It’s iconic, and I’ll do everything I can to try to win.”

His sentiments were echoed by sports director Jesper Mørkøv, who noted, “We can look back on a successful day. We had control in every area. In the peloton, the guys did excellent work for Jonas. With Victor, we were represented in the breakaway, in case Jonas needed him on or after the final climb. It’s great that Victor was able to reward his effort with a fourth-place finish.”

As the competition heats up, all eyes will be on the next stage, where riders must tackle one of the most notorious climbs in cycling.