2026 Vuelta a España stage 13 preview | Attacks must be launched early to get the better of Visma

Enric Mas delivered a massive blow this his GC rivals on the twelfth stage of the Vuelta a España. With legs like those, he would love nothing more than to extend his lead. But the twelfth stage is one for other types of riders. Will it be a day for the sprinters, or for the break? IDL Pro Cycling previews the stage.

Anyone who thought the second week of the Vuelta would be a little easier than the first is in for a surprise. Of course, there was a stage for the sprinters, but that one wasn’t easy either. And after the grueling mountain stage to Calar Alto, the schedule once again features a stage with a significant amount of climbing—3,300 meters to be exact, between Almuñécar and Loja.

From the starting point—the home of Carlos Rodriguez (Netcompany INEOS)—the route is flat for about ten kilometers, after which the climb begins. And it’s immediately the toughest climb of the day: the Puerto Los Guájares, also known as the Venta de la Cebada. It’s a 14-kilometer climb averaging 5.1 percent, with a fairly difficult second section. The gradients reach a maximum of 12 percent.

Even after this climb, the course continues to alternate between ascents and descents until, after 84 kilometers, the second climb of the day looms ahead. This is a Category 2 climb, but by that point, the peloton has already covered a significant amount of elevation gain. To shake off the sprinters, the riders will need to pick up the pace early on.

After that climb, it gets a little easier. The route still has some ups and downs, but it’s mostly flat leading up to the day’s final climb. The Puerto de Granada isn’t particularly tough, with gradients of up to about six percent at most. It could, however, shake off the remaining sprinters. From the top, it’s still 37 kilometers to the finish line—a long way to go, in other words.

The final kilometers are mostly flat, and if there’s still a team with a shot at the sprint, the attackers will have a tough time here. The final stretch isn’t very winding, but there are a few roundabouts on the course where riders have to go straight through. That could still cause some problems. The final kilometer also has a slight incline.

Times
Start: 12:41 p.m CET
Finish: 5:15 p.m CET

At the start in Almuñécar, it will be “only” 27 degrees on the coast. Once we head inland, the temperature will rise—and how! In Loja, the finish town, the mercury could hit 40 degrees...

This stage has the makings of a Visma | Lease a Bike victory. With Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan, the Dutch team has two contenders for the stage win. It’s quite possible that the Belgian will join the breakaway, while the British rider will be called upon if the escapees don’t make it to the finish. Or will Christophe Laporte get his chance now? It might be a bit too tough for the Frenchman.

It remains to be seen whether other sprinters can handle the course. We’ll be watching riders like Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana), Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious), Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Hugo Hofstetter (NSN), and Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS).

But in a Vuelta where there are plenty of opportunities for climbers, the attackers have to make do with stages like this. Their other chances have so far been snatched up by the sprinters. Think of riders like Fredrik Dversnes and Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility), Iván Romeo, Raúl García Pierna, Pablo Castrillo (Movistar), Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step), and Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe).

Pinarello - Q36.5 has a host of attackers, including the energetic Xabier Mikel Azparren, Spanish champion Marcel Camprubí, Milan Vader, and Walter Calzoni. NSN can count on Pau Martí or Alexey Lutsenko, while Lotto-Intermarché can send someone like Vito Braet to the front. Following Mads Pedersen’s withdrawal, Lidl-Trek will be banking on Thibau Nys, who is getting into better and better shape.

Léo Bisiaux is one of those riders with excellent climbing legs, but he also has a decent sprint and plenty of attacking spirit. Decathlon CMA CGM could also deploy Jordan Labrosse. Alpecin-Premier Tech could either go with Gal Glivar, who can finish strongly, or rely on Ramses Debruyne’s climbing prowess. And will we finally see Marco Brenner (Tudor) in this Vuelta?

Top Favorites: Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Dark horses: Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), and Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots: Léo Bisiaux, Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon CMA CGM), Vito Braet (Lotto-Intermarché), Xabier Mikel Azparren (Pinarello - Q36.5), Andreas Kron, Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious), Iván Romeo (Movistar), Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Hugo Hofstetter (NSN), Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana), Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS)