VUELTA’18 Stage 12: Big Break – New Overall Leader!

Stage Report: Yet again the break of the day went all the way to the finish and Frenchman Alexandre Geniez (AG2R-La Mondiale) won the stage in a close sprint from Sky’s Dylan van Baarle. Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) was in the second split of the escape and took the overall lead by 3:22 from Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) who finished 9 minutes later with the peloton.

Stage 12 winner – Alexandre Geniez (AG2R-La Mondiale)

Alexandre Geniez (AG2R-La Mondiale) took another victory for France on Thursday as he got the better of Dylan Van Baarle (Sky) and Mark Padun (Bahrain-Merida) for his third Vuelta stage win in his palmarès. Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) was the other winner of the day, the ex-Spanish road champion finished well ahead of Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) and the peloton to become the first Spanish rider to wear the red Vuelta leaders jersey since 2016.

New overall leader – Jesus Herrada (Cofidis)

Stage 12 from Mondoñedo to Faro de Estaca de Bares. Mañón:
Mondoñedo is an unprecedented La Vuelta departure. The Lugo municipality took on particular historical relevance in the late Middle Ages as it was the setting of the Galicia succession of power battle between Galicians and Castilians. An episode in which the marshal Pardo de Cela, a historical figure who died in the very Praza da Catedral that the peloton will pass through during La Vuelta, was the protagonist. Estaca de Bares, in the municipality of Mañón, is the Northernmost point of the Iberian peninsula. The Coruña cape, the natural area where mountains, rivers and the sea come together, is an unprecedented La Vuelta finish-line. The waters of the Sor River converge with those of the Atlantic Ocean and of the Cantabrian Sea, which are separated by this natural setting where visitors can practice a multitude of water sports or walk along its numerous hiking trails.

Fans on boats!

The tough Galician course was made even harder by the crosswind, that didn’t stop the early attacks coming on the first climb of the day, the Cat-3 Alto de Cadeira. A group of 18 riders escaped after 10 kilometers. Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) managed to be included in the move with his teammate Mark Padun and Alexandre Geniez (AG2R-La Mondiale), Dylan Teuns (BMC), Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe), Victor Campenaerts and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Dries Devenyns (Quick-Step Floors), Amanuel Gebregziabher (Dimenstion Data), Tiago Machado (Katusha-Alpecin), Dylan Van Baarle (Sky), Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo), Valerio Conti (UAE Team Emirates), Pablo Torres (Burgos-BH), Jonathan Lastra and Lluis Mas (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) and Mikel Bizkarra (Euskadi-Murias).

The Galician coast

Simon Yates’ Mitchelton Scott team were the pace setters for the bunch, but the lead increased and was up to 10 minutes with 95km to go. Jesus Herrada was the best placed on GC at 5:45 behind Yates. Movistar started to help the chase when the lead reached 11 minutes on the second climb of the day, the Cat 3 Alto de San Pedro, 50 kilometers from the finish.

Mitchelton-Scott didn’t chase too hard

In the final 35 kilometers the lead group started to attack each other and with 20 kilometers remaining eight riders split off the front: Mark Padun, Alexandre Geniez, Dylan Teuns, Davide Formolo, Victor Campenaerts, Dries Devenyns, Dylan Van Baarle and Gianluca Brambilla. They kept attacking into the last kilometer, but it was Geniez who won the tricky sprint from Van Baarle. The victory celebrations were ruined as Geniez and Van Baarle crashed into Vuelta press officer, Chema Rodríguez. All three came down.

A crash after the line

Jesus Herrada finished at 2:32 taking the overall lead and the red jersey from Simon Yates who finished with the peloton 9:07 after the Spaniard.

The peloton came in nearly 12 minutes down

Herrada looks good in red

• Note: Canadian readers can watch the Vuelta LIVE with a subscription at Flobikes.com

Vuelta a España Stage 12 Result:
1. Alexandre Geniez (Fra) AG2R-La Mondiale in 4:22:59
2. Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Sky
3. Mark Padun (Ukr) Bahrain-Merida
4. Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC
5. Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Lotto Soudal at 0:02
6. Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe at 0:05
7. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 0:24
8. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors at 0:48
9. Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal at 2:27
10. Valerio Conti (Ita) UAE Team Emirates at 2:29
11. Luis Guillermo Mas Bonet (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA at 2:31
12. Jonathan Lastra Martinez (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
13. Tiago Machado (Por) Katusha-Alpecin at 2:32
14. Pablo Torres Muiño (Spa) Burgos BH
15. Mikel Bizkarra Etxegibel (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
16. Jesus Herrada (Spa) Cofidis
17. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida at 2:54
18. Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Eri) Dimension Data at 5:17
19. Nelson Oliveira (Por) Movistar at 11:39
20. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar
21. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar
22. Simon Yates (GB) Mitchelton-Scott
23. Ion Izagirre (Spa) Bahrain-Merida
24. Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe
25. Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale.

Vuelta a España Overall After Stage 12:
1. Jesus Herrada (Spa) Cofidis in 50:28:56
2. Simon Yates (GB) Mitchelton-Scott at 3:22
3. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 3:23
4. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 3:36
5. Ion Izagirre (Spa) Bahrain-Merida at 3:39
6. Tony Gallopin (Fra) AG2R-La Mondiale at 3:46
7. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
8. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana at 3:49
9. Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale at 3:54
10. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo at 4:05
11. George Bennett (NZ) LottoNL-Jumbo at 4:09
12. Enric Mas (Spa) Quick-Step Floors at 4:37
13. David De La Cruz (Spa) Sky at 4:55
14. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 5:03
15. Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates at 5:11
16. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Sunweb at 5:12
17. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Sky at 5:32
18. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 5:42
19. Rudy Molard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 6:46
20. Benjamin King (USA) Dimension Data at 7:04
21. Jack Haig (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott at 7:51
22. Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe at 7:57
23. Louis Meintjes (RSA) Dimension Data at 8:49
24. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe at 8:50
25. Mikel Bizkarra Etxegibel (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias at 9:56.