“I smelled the moment” – Wout van Aert springs Visma ambush to seal second Vuelta win in three stages
Cycling
Wout van Aert turned a day of sustained control from Team Visma | Lease a Bike into a surprise attack of his own to claim Stage 15 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana in Cordoba.
The green jersey holder accelerated through the intermediate sprint and continued beyond the line, bridging across to Andreas Leknessund and Ramses Debruyne with Alessandro Romele on his wheel. Thibau Nys subsequently joined them to complete the five-man move that decided the stage.
Van Aert later defeated Romele and Nys in the sprint, securing his second victory in three stages after also winning from a two-man breakaway in Loja on Stage 13.
“We tried to surprise the bunch by controlling the whole day,” Van Aert explained in his post-stage interview. “We were still there with a few strong guys, and I knew people would not expect the attack.”
Visma control creates Van Aert’s opening
Stage 15 had been reduced from 189.7 to 110.2 kilometres under the Extreme Weather Protocol, with almost 80 kilometres removed after several successive days of punishing temperatures. The shortened route and 40-degree heat produced a furious opening rather than a calmer day before the second rest day.
Visma and Cofidis kept the initial breakaway on a short leash, rarely allowing its advantage beyond one minute. As the race reached the Puerto Artafi, Visma began rotating Steven Kruijswijk, Jorgen Nordhagen and Bruno Armirail at the front of the peloton.
Their pace fractured the break and reduced the bunch to approximately 40 riders. Leknessund emerged as the strongest of the original escapees and continued alone, while Debruyne attacked from behind and bridged across shortly after the summit.
Van Aert recognised his opportunity when the reduced peloton contested the intermediate sprint at Santa Maria de Trassierra. “I smelled the moment on the intermediate sprint and with Matthew behind there was no risk to try,” he said. “We always had a good option in the bunch. That’s how I like to race.”
Matthew Brennan’s presence behind gave Visma protection if Van Aert failed to reach the leaders. Instead, the Belgian closed the gap in one acceleration, taking Romele with him before Nys made the junction from behind.
Van Aert answers every attack
Once the five riders established an advantage of more than a minute, Van Aert attempted to reduce the group before the descent into Cordoba. Nys initially held his wheel as the others were distanced, but Romele, Debruyne and Leknessund regained contact.
Van Aert entered the final kilometres as the clear favourite, leaving his four companions searching for a way to remove him before the sprint. Nys and Debruyne attacked together with three kilometres remaining, while Romele declined to contribute to the chase and briefly left Van Aert to close the gap himself.
Leknessund then launched two separate accelerations, but Van Aert responded immediately on both occasions. That forced the Belgian to begin the final kilometre at the front after spending much of the closing phase policing every move.
Nys opened the sprint, but Van Aert still had enough to come through and take the victory. Romele claimed second, with Nys third ahead of Debruyne and Leknessund.
The result moved Van Aert to 267 points in the green jersey competition, 108 clear of teammate Brennan, and delivered his second Vuelta stage victory in the space of three days.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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