After the start in Andorra, the peloton faced climbing almost immediately on the seventh day of the Spanish Grand Tour. With four categorized climbs and a summit finish at Cerler. Huesca La Magia, thirteen riders managed to break free after an animated opening. In the end, it was Ayuso who prevailed from the break to take the stage win. Behind him, Vingegaard, Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss finished in the group of favorites after strong work from Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

“It was a tough final climb”, Vingegaard says. “We decided not to make any moves today and to save the team’s energy. There will be plenty of opportunities for us in the second and third week. A big compliment to the team for their work today.”

Sports director Jesper Mørkøv echoed the words of his leader: “We were able to save some energy today, as Bahrain Victorious set the pace for much of the stage. In the end, we were well-positioned for the final climb. Jonas responded strongly to an attack by Almeida, and Sepp and Matteo also showed they are in good shape. All in all, a good day for our team.”

Tomorrow, the sprinters’ teams will have their chance to go for stage glory. The first week of the Vuelta a España will then conclude with a long stage finishing atop Estación de Esquí de Valdezcaray.