Juan Sebastian Molano fires to victory in bunch sprint finale to stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana

In a bunch sprint finish, Juan Sebastian Molano of UAE Team Emirates has taken victory on stage 12 of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana.

The Vuelta a Espana is about to grow in difficulty, but before returning to the Pyrenees, the riders will still find one flat stage on stage 12 where a bunch sprint was expected.

Just two riders decided to go up the road and offer some resistance to the sprint teams, Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH) and Abel Balderstone» (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) being the brave duo.

Despite the slow pace, the peloton was not in a generous mood, holding the break at a gap of around two minutes.

With 44km to go, their day out front was done and they were swallowed up by the bunch. Surprisingly though, after taking less than a minute back in the peloton to rest, Bol attacked again, riding clear solo this time. This second attack did not last long however, and soon after he was swallowed up once again.

At the intermediate sprint, with bonus seconds on offer, Primoz Roglic showed his face, second behind Kaden Groves and taking an extra 4 seconds.

Then it was all about preparing for the final sprint. So far Groves has proven the dominant sprinter but it wasn't easy for Alpecin-Deceuninck to hold the front.

Juan Sebastian Molano was the first to launch and as it proved out, he made his move at the perfect time, holding off Kaden Groves and Boy van Poppel.