2024 Vuelta a Espana GC Update after stage 2: Wout van Aert takes race lead due to bonus seconds

One day later than perhaps some expected, but Wout van Aert is into the Red Jersey at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana after backing up his 3rd placed finish on stage 1 with a 2nd on stage 2, claiming key bonus seconds in the process.

As a result, the Belgian is now sitting pretty at the top of the general classification standings, taking over the Red Jersey from UAE Team Emirates' Brandon McNulty by 3 seconds. Behind, Mathias Vacek drops to third but things could have been much worse for the Czech after being brought down by a supporter on the final climb.

Further down and there are no other changes in the upper standings of the GC, with Primoz Roglic still the best placed of the potential overall contenders and INEOS Grenadiers' Joshua Tarling keeping his high placing despite a brutal late crash.

VIDEO: 2nd overall Mathias Vacek fumes at fan after being brought down at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana

Wout van Aert into the Red Jersey at 2024 Vuelta a Espana despite Kaden Groves denying Belgian the stage 2 win

2024 Vuelta a Espana GC after stage 2:

1	van Aert Wout	Team Visma \| Lease a Bike	05:25:27
2	McNulty Brandon	UAE Team Emirates	+ 03
3	Vacek Mathias	Lidl-Trek	+ 05
4	Küng Stefan	Groupama-FDJ	+ 09
5	Affini Edoardo	Team Visma \| Lease a Bike	+ 11
6	Tarling Joshua	INEOS Grenadiers	+ 11
7	Schmid Mauro	Team Jayco-AlUla	+ 19
8	Roglic Primoz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	+ 20
9	Armirail Bruno	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	+ 21
10	Almeida Joao	UAE Team Emirates	+ 22
11	Oliveira Nelson	Movistar Team	+ 23
12	Lipowitz Florian	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	+ 24
13	Skjelmose Mattias	Lidl-Trek	+ 25
14	Vine Jay	UAE Team Emirates	+ 27
15	Asgreen Kasper	Soudal Quick-Step	+ 29
16	Baroncini Filippo	UAE Team Emirates	+ 29
17	Cattaneo Mattia	Soudal Quick-Step	+ 30
18	Tiberi Antonio	Bahrain Victorious	+ 30
19	Frigo Marco	Israel-Premier Tech	+ 31
20	Vlasov Aleksandr	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	+ 32
21	Castrillo Pablo	Equipo Kern Pharma	+ 32
22	Tejada Harold	Astana Qazaqstan Team	+ 32
23	Arensman Thymen	INEOS Grenadiers	+ 32
24	Berrade Urko	Equipo Kern Pharma	+ 33
25	Kepplinger Rainer	Bahrain Victorious	+ 34
26	Geoghegan Hart Tao	Lidl-Trek	+ 34
27	Campenaerts Victor	Lotto Dstny	+ 35
28	Martinez Daniel	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	+ 36
29	Yates Adam	UAE Team Emirates	+ 37
30	Soler Marc	UAE Team Emirates	+ 40
31	Poole Max	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	+ 40
32	Mas Enric	Movistar Team	+ 42
33	Dunbar Edward	Team Jayco-AlUla	+ 42
34	Doull Owain	EF Education-EasyPost	+ 42
35	Carapaz Richard	EF Education-EasyPost	+ 43
36	Sivakov Pavel	UAE Team Emirates	+ 43
37	Rafferty Darren	EF Education-EasyPost	+ 43
38	Scotson Callum	Team Jayco-AlUla	+ 45
39	del Toro Isaac	UAE Team Emirates	+ 45
40	Konrad Patrick	Lidl-Trek	+ 47
41	Sütterlin Jasha	Bahrain Victorious	+ 47
42	Schelling Ide	Astana Qazaqstan Team	+ 47
43	Haig Jack	Bahrain Victorious	+ 47
44	Juaristi Txomin	Euskaltel-Euskadi	+ 47
45	Sweeny Harry	EF Education-EasyPost	+ 47
46	Uijtdebroeks Cian	Team Visma \| Lease a Bike	+ 48
47	Gesink Robert	Team Visma \| Lease a Bike	+ 48
48	De Plus Laurens	INEOS Grenadiers	+ 49
49	Rodriguez Carlos	INEOS Grenadiers	+ 49
50	Denz Nico	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	+ 50
51	Harper Chris	Team Jayco-AlUla	+ 51
52	Lafay Victor	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	+ 52
53	Berthet Clément	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	+ 53
54	Goossens Kobe	Intermarché-Wanty	+ 54
55	Gaudu David	Groupama-FDJ	+ 54
56	Miholjevic Fran	Bahrain Victorious	+ 54
57	Izagirre Ion	Cofidis	+ 55
58	O'Connor Ben	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	+ 55
59	Leijnse Enzo	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	+ 56
60	De Pestel Sander	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	+ 56
61	Rivera Brandon	INEOS Grenadiers	+ 56
62	Kuss Sepp	Team Visma \| Lease a Bike	+ 56
63	Van Eetvelt Lennert	Lotto Dstny	+ 57
64	Teuns Dylan	Israel-Premier Tech	+ 57
65	Adrià Roger	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	+ 57
66	Zana Filippo	Team Jayco-AlUla	+ 57
67	Hollmann Juri	Alpecin-Deceuninck	+ 57
68	Gall Felix	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	+ 57
69	Ciccone Giulio	Lidl-Trek	+ 57
70	Brussenskiy Gleb	Astana Qazaqstan Team	+ 58
71	Valter Attila	Team Visma \| Lease a Bike	+ 58
72	Meurisse Xandro	Alpecin-Deceuninck	+ 59
73	Hamilton Chris	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	+ 59
74	Gamper Patrick	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	+ 59
75	Costa Rui	EF Education-EasyPost	+ 01:00
76	Aleotti Giovanni	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	+ 01:00
77	Guernalec Thibault	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	+ 01:00
78	Rochas Rémy	Groupama-FDJ	+ 01:02
79	Oomen Sam	Lidl-Trek	+ 01:02
80	Taaramäe Rein	Intermarché-Wanty	+ 01:03
81	Tusveld Martijn	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	+ 01:04
82	Engelhardt Felix	Team Jayco-AlUla	+ 01:04
83	Pacher Quentin	Groupama-FDJ	+ 01:06
84	Kron Andreas	Lotto Dstny	+ 01:06
85	Leemreize Gijs	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	+ 01:07
86	Bennett George	Israel-Premier Tech	+ 01:08
87	Bystrøm Sven Erik	Groupama-FDJ	+ 01:08
88	Braet Vito	Intermarché-Wanty	+ 01:08
89	Caruso Damiano	Bahrain Victorious	+ 01:08
90	Landa Mikel	Soudal Quick-Step	+ 01:08
91	Vervaeke Louis	Soudal Quick-Step	+ 01:09
92	Rodríguez Óscar	INEOS Grenadiers	+ 01:09
93	Verona Carlos	Lidl-Trek	+ 01:10
94	Germani Lorenzo	Groupama-FDJ	+ 01:11
95	Strong Corbin	Israel-Premier Tech	+ 01:11
96	Knox James	Soudal Quick-Step	+ 01:12
97	López Martin	Astana Qazaqstan Team	+ 01:12
98	Riesebeek Oscar	Alpecin-Deceuninck	+ 01:12
99	Bittner Pavel	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	+ 01:12
100	Shaw James	EF Education-EasyPost	+ 01:13