Race 12 of the Vuelta a España: Juan Ayuso emerges victorious in a two-rider breakaway sprint against Javier Romo

Vuelta a España 2022: Juan Ayuso Takes Dramatic Stage 12 Victory

In a thrilling turn of events at the Vuelta a España 2022, Juan Ayuso of UAE Team Emirates-XRG clinched a decisive victory in stage 12. The young Spanish rider, who formed a two-man breakaway with Javier Romo (Movistar), managed to outpace Romo and several other contenders to claim the stage win.

Ayuso crossed the finish line 13 seconds ahead of Brieuc Rolland (Groupama-FDJ), who took third place, and a minute and 49 seconds ahead of the race leader, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). Vingegaard, who started the day 56 seconds behind João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in the overall standings, finished the stage 6 minutes and 22 seconds behind Ayuso. Almeida, meanwhile, is now 50 seconds behind Vingegaard.

The stage was marked by a series of strategic moves and changes in the composition of the leaders. With 75km to go, a massive selection of 52 riders formed, including multiple riders from Movistar, Soudal-QuickStep, EF Education-EasyPost, Lotto, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and Lidl-Trek. Visma-Lease a Bike, with Dylan van Baarle controlling the pace of the peloton, was 2:43 behind.

Jhonatan Narváez of UAE Team Emirates-XRG played a crucial role in supporting his team during the stage, notably during the critical moments while chasing the Spanish duo Ayuso and Romo. Meanwhile, Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar) attempted to steal away on the unclassified 3.1km climb of Alto de Hijas, but his move lasted only a few kilometres.

Six riders went clear for a manageable breakaway: James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost), Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), Michel Hessmann (Movistar), Finlay Pickering (Bahrain-Victorious), Brieuc Rolland (Groupama-FDJ), and Victor Guernalec (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). With 31km to go, the group had 30 seconds on chasers and began their effort on the final climb.

The lone intermediate sprint of the day was won by Lidl-Trek, with Mads Pedersen earning a hefty haul of 20 more points to pad his lead in the points classification. Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished fourth in the stage, just ahead of Pedersen.

The overall standings saw some changes, with Bruno Almirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) moving to sixth overall, now just five seconds behind his teammate Felix Gall. Israel-Premier Tech squad was not present at the front throughout the stage.

The head of the race had an advantage of 4:40 with 50km to go, but the stage's dramatic events managed to narrow the gap significantly. The Vuelta a España 2022 continues to provide exciting racing, with Ayuso's stage win adding to UAE's season total, now 81 wins.

Race 12 of the Vuelta a España: Juan Ayuso emerges victorious in a two-rider breakaway sprint against Javier Romo