joão Almeida wins Stage 13 of Vuelta a España on Angliru, Moves to Second Overall
Cabezóon de la Sal, Spain – João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) delivered a stunning performance to win Stage 13 of the Vuelta a España atop the formidable Angliru climb, closing the gap to race leader Jonas Vingegaard to 46 seconds. The 202.7km stage, originating from Cabezóon de la Sal, featured a challenging route including the Alto de la Mozqueta and the Aldo del Cordal before culminating in the punishing ascent of the Angliru.
Almeida’s victory marks a notable shift in the general classification (GC), as he jumped from eighth to fourth now just three minutes behind Vingegaard.The Portuguese rider’s attack inside the final 6km proved decisive, distancing Sepp Kuss and Jai Hindley before ultimately winning a sprint finish against Vingegaard.
An early 24-rider breakaway, containing Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) and points leader Mads Pedersen, established a lead of two and a half minutes within the first 30 kilometers. Nico Vinokurov (XDS Astana) and Bob Jungels (Ineos Grenadiers) later emerged as frontrunners from the breakaway, eventually joined by Jefferson Cepeda (Movistar Team).
The breakaway’s progress was briefly interrupted by a protest with 12.3km remaining, momentarily halting the riders. Almeida’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG team, despite the absence of stage winner juan ayuso, applied significant pressure on the GC contenders during the Angliru climb, contributing to difficulties for riders including Egan bernal (Ineos grenadiers) and Torstein Træen (Bahrain-Victorious), who ultimately fell back.
Almeida ultimately caught and passed the last remaining breakaway rider, Jungels, with 5.4km to go, before launching his winning move.
“I still have a lot of time to make up to Jonas. He is looking strong so I think it is going to be hard task,but we never give up,” Almeida stated after the stage.