Stage 12 of the Vuelta a EspaƱa delivered fireworks on Wednesday, as riders tackled a demanding 166-kilometer (about 103-mile) route from Vera to Calar Alto, finishing atop a mountain climb. Slovenian rider Jakob Omrzel of Bahrain Victorious claimed the stage win after a gripping battle on the final ascent, one that also shook up the overall standings still led by Spain’s Enric Mas of Movistar.
For Colombian fans, the day belonged to two riders. Santiago Buitrago spent much of the stage in an early breakaway, dueling repeatedly with Belgian star Wout van Aert for mountain classification points across several categorized climbs. Despite not adding to his stage-win tally, Buitrago successfully defended his lead in the polka-dot jersey competition, fending off Van Aert’s late charge for the title.
Meanwhile, Harold Tejada of Astana remained the top-placed Colombian in the general classification, continuing his strong showing in this year’s race.
Behind the breakaway, the pack containing overall leader Mas rode cautiously, allowing the gap to swell to over six minutes at one point—a margin that alarmed several teams, including Decathlon, Red Bull-Bora and Visma, since it threatened to push Omrzel, sitting tenth overall, into contention. A crash involving Oscar Onley, fourth overall, further complicated the chase group’s response as the race approached its decisive final kilometers.
Want the full blow-by-blow of the climbs and tactics? Check out the original report at El Tiempo.
Source: Santiago Buitrago y Harold Tejada, brillantes: brutal etapa 12 de la Vuelta a EspaƱa para los dos colombianos (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Citizen 4474, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).