Vingegaard aims to shine on the Angliru, backed by a personal story: "First time I really showed myself"

Juan Ayuso won the twelfth stage. This means that UAE Team Emirates - XRG already has five stage wins, and Jay Vine also leads the mountain classification. While everyone at Visma | Lease a Bike is focused on Vingegaard, the competition has more freedom. But the Dane is not concerned about that. “We are only focusing on ourselves,” he said in the flash interview. “We have the red jersey and two stage wins. Today, the focus was on not losing any time. Today, and for the rest of the Vuelta, we can be pleased with how things are going.”

After 12 days, the entire GC could be turned upside down on Friday. The Angliru is the final climb, and Vingegaard has fond memories of it. In 2023, he finished second, but in 2020, as a rookie, he was already 14th on the terribly steep climb. “The Angliru is a brutal climb and very, very difficult. I think it was the first time I really showed myself. Tomorrow will be the third time, hopefully I'll have good legs.”

He made his debut in a Grand Tour five years ago, but now he finds himself in a very different position in the stage. The two-time Tour winner hopes to capitalize on a climb that suits him very well, as history shows. “We'll see how the legs feel tomorrow, but it would be a dream come true to win on the Angliru, it's one of the most iconic climbs in the Vuelta.” Vingegaard currently has a 50-second lead over his closest rival, João Almeida, with Tom Pidcock 56 seconds behind.