DISCUSSION - Vuelta a España Stage 13 - An ode to attacking cycling? Wout delivers, Brennan is worth his weight in gold. Has Skjelmose gotten a boost in confidence?

Wout van Aert claimed his first victory of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana by beating Valentin Paret-Peintre in a two-man sprint at the end of Stage 13. The Belgian attacked with 3.5 kilometres remaining and comfortably passed the Frenchman in the uphill finish in Loja.

The 193-kilometre stage featured a fierce battle for the breakaway, with 43 riders eventually moving clear. Van Aert collected ten mountain points on the opening climb, while Team Visma | Lease a Bike also placed Matthew Brennan and Bruno Armirail in the large escape.

The breakaway was gradually reduced, with Brennan making the decisive front selection before Van Aert bridged across on the Puerto de Granada. A nine-rider group emerged after the final climb, giving Visma two strong cards to play in the battle for the stage victory.

Brennan played a crucial role by responding to several attacks in the closing kilometres. Van Aert then made his move, with only Paret-Peintre able to follow, before using his superior sprint to complete an excellent tactical performance from Visma.

Carlos Silva of CyclingUpToDate criticised the lack of full live television coverage of the stage. He also discussed Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s dynamic duo and the scare Mathias Skjelmose gave the general classification contenders, forcing several teams to work in the peloton to protect their overall ambitions.

Today delivered another stage full of attacking racing – exactly the kind of cycling I enjoy.

My first observation concerns Eurosport, which is responsible for producing the television coverage of the race. It is difficult to understand why a stage like this was not shown in full. Perhaps it is time to reconsider the current arrangement and negotiate with other sports broadcasters that might have a greater interest in covering the race.

We should be able to enjoy a Grand Tour stage such as this one in all its splendour, from start to finish, rather than having to wait for the broadcast to begin when the riders are already halfway through the stage – or even further.

As for the racing itself, I would highlight two key points. The first was Mattias Skjelmose’s presence in the breakaway. The Lidl-Trek rider has not been at his best in the high mountains and has repeatedly lost time whenever the road has become steeper. Today, however, he joined the break and set off alarm bells in the peloton.

At one point, Skjelmose was closing in on the podium and was only around a minute behind Felix Gall in the general classification. That prompted several teams to move to the front and contribute to the chase, including Movistar, EF Education-EasyPost, Netcompany INEOS and Decathlon. They wanted to reduce the gap and avoid allowing Skjelmose to become an even greater threat.

My final observation concerns the last 30 kilometres, which were absolutely worth watching. The repeated attacks involving riders such as Léo Bisiaux, Finn Fisher-Black, Ken Vermaerke and all the others made for a fantastic spectacle. All the members of the ten-rider group at the front tried to make their moves, but Matthew Brennan and Wout van Aert took turns responding.

I had previously described Brennan and Van Aert as the “fantastic duo”, and today they proved it once again. Had the race come down to a sprint, Van Aert would presumably have worked for Brennan, as he was the fastest rider in the group.

Instead, Van Aert took a risk and attacked. His final move ultimately paid off. Nobody was able to respond properly, with Valentin Paret-Peintre the only rider capable of following his wheel. The pair entered the final kilometre with enough of an advantage to contest the stage victory, and Van Aert was never going to waste that opportunity.

Tomorrow brings another extremely difficult mountain stage, where we could see another battle between the general classification contenders. It will be interesting to see how Skjelmose’s recovery of time today affects the race. Perhaps it will give him renewed confidence and the psychological boost he needs to stay with the best riders when tomorrow’s decisive moment arrives.

Jorge Borreguero of CiclismoAlDia analysed the performances of Movistar Team and Enric Mas following yesterday’s demanding stage and ahead of another gruelling day tomorrow, which will feature a summit finish. He also discussed Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan, as well as Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s tactical masterstroke. The team played its strongest cards perfectly to claim another victory at La Vuelta.

Movistar Team did exactly what they had to do, but what is really interesting is how things are shaping up for Enric Mas ahead of La Pandera.

After his impressive display on Calar Alto, this was a potentially uncomfortable stage for the team. There were mountains, an extremely strong breakaway and riders who were sufficiently well placed to force Movistar to keep a close eye on the race. However, the Spanish team did not fall into the trap of trying to control absolutely everything. They allowed the breakaway to go once they realised that it did not pose a genuine threat to the red jersey and focused on keeping the gap within reasonable limits.

In a Vuelta as difficult as this one, that is a very positive sign. Movistar are beginning to race like the team of the overall leader, rather than a squad simply trying to survive with Enric Mas.

Wout van Aert’s victory also seems significant to me. Not only because it was his first win of this Vuelta, but also because Team Visma | Lease a Bike once again demonstrated that they can play several different cards within the same stage.

Van Aert was part of a 43-rider breakaway, survived every selection and tried several more attacks when the group had been reduced to nine riders. He eventually waited until the final three kilometres to make the decisive move, with only Valentin Paret-Peintre able to follow him.

That was the difference. Instead of waiting for a reduced sprint, Van Aert took the initiative once again and managed to turn a complicated breakaway into a virtually head-to-head battle for victory. This is the Van Aert that Visma need and the Van Aert who can be extremely dangerous during the remainder of the Vuelta.

Stage 13 underlined exactly why Grand Tour stages of this nature deserve live coverage from start to finish. The constant attacks, Mattias Skjelmose’s temporary threat to the podium and the growing responsibility taken by Movistar Team created a fascinating tactical battle. The Spanish team passed another important leadership test, keeping the breakaway under control without wasting unnecessary energy. That measured approach suggests Enric Mas and his teammates are becoming increasingly comfortable with the demands of defending the red jersey.

Wout van Aert ultimately provided the perfect finish to an excellent day of racing. Together with Matthew Brennan, he controlled every dangerous move before taking matters into his own hands with a decisive late attack. Valentin Paret-Peintre was the only rider able to follow, but Wout van Aert was simply too strong in the sprint. It was a deserved first victory of this Vuelta a Espana for the Belgian and further proof that Team Visma | Lease a Bike possess several ways to win. With another demanding mountain stage ahead, however, attention will quickly return to the battle for the general classification.