UAE Team Emirates-XRG win again at La Vuelta as victory tally hits 78

Juan Ayuso added another impressive victory to his palmarès with a commanding win on stage 12 of the Vuelta a España, marking his second stage success in this year’s edition of the race.

The UAE Team Emirates‑XRG rider timed his effort to perfection in a two-up sprint with Javier Romo (Movistar) at the end of the hilly stage from Laredo to Los Corrales de Buelna after some excellent teamwork from his compatriot and teammate Marc Soler.

The stage route comprised a short but punishing 144.9 km medium‑mountain profile which packed nearly 2,400 meters of elevation gain and featuring two decisive climbs: the Alto de Alisas(8.6km at 5.8%), early in the stage to ignite the pace, followed in the finale by the brutal Collada de Brenes (7km at 7.9%) cresting around 23km from the line.

After an active and tactical day of racing, Ayuso launched his sprint with precision, powering past Romo in the final metres to take the win. In doing so, the Spaniard moves UAE Team Emirates-XRG to 78 wins for the 2025 campaign.

Juan Ayuso: “After such a hard day, you don’t know, and I had to play my cards.

“I had to make Romo a bit nervous and in the end he led out the sprint and I was able to come around him. Soler did an amazing job for this win today from the break, so a big thanks to him and the team.”

The result adds to an already extremely successful Vuelta for UAE Team Emirates‑XRG who take their fifth victory, with a team victory on the stage 4 TTT, coupled with Ayuso and Jay Vine taking four stages between them, highlighting the squad’s strength.

As the race moves into its decisive mountain stages, UAE Team Emirates‑XRG remains focused on stage wins and supporting its leader João Almeida for the general classification challenges ahead.

Tomorrow’s stage 13 looms as one of the most formidable challenges of this Vuelta. The legendary Alto de l’Angliru, with its punishing gradients, could well prove decisive for the general glassification. With the treacherous Asturian climbs on the horizon, UAE Team Emirates‑XRG’s Almeida remains firmly in the hunt for overall honours.

Vuelta a España stage 12 results

1. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 3:16:21

2. Javier Romo (Movistar) s.t

3. Brieuc Rolland (Groupama-FDJ) +13″

Vuelta a España general classification after stage 12

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) 44:36:45

2. João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +50″

3. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +56″

Meanwhile, Rui Oliveira delivered a standout performance in stage 3 of the Tour of Britain, finishing a commendable third behind Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Alberto Dainese (Tudor Pro Cycling).

The 122.8 km stage from Milton Keynes to Ampthill culminated in a high‑speed bunch sprint, where Oliveira showcased both his tactical awareness and sprinting capability, as the race prepares to hit the hills.

Oliveira: “It was a nice little finish for me so I tried to stay in the right wheels and I think I did everything perfect, positioning-wise, to be on the right wheels in the right time. I am not the quickest of the sprinters here this week, but it is good to be fighting for the victory.

“We are looking forward to the rest of the week with stages that better suit our capabilities as a team.”

Tour of Britain stage 3 results

1. Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) 2:35:45

2. Alberto Dainese (Tudor Pro Cycling) s.t

3. Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) s.t