Vuelta a Espana 2016: Full Standings and Highlights After Stage 12 Results
Orica-BikeExchange's Jens Keukeleire took Stage 12 of the 2016 Vuelta a Espana on Thursday, beating the rest of the peloton in a bunch sprint.
The Belgian finished off a disorganised sprint, as a handful of late attacks on the local circuit had all of the top teams scrambling to find their leaders.
Movistar's Nairo Quintana remains the race leader. Here's a look at Thursday's results, via CyclingHub:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
And here's the current general classification:
Recap
Stage 12 was one of the longest stages of this year's Vuelta, at well over 190 kilometres, but the four categorised climbs didn't seem too fierce, and the favourites were expected to enjoy an easy day out.
A group of 14 riders made up the early break, including the likes of Omar Fraile (Dimension Data), Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-QuickStep), Pierre Rolland (Cannondale-Drapac) and Philippe Gilbert (BMC).
Trek-Segafredo and Astana raced after the group, however, keeping an eye on Brambilla, and they soon were caught up.
The peloton kept things tight, which is unusual in these kinds of stages, and it took a very long time for a real break to develop. Brambilla somehow managed to sneak out with a group of six riders during the opening climb and, aided by former race leader Darwin Atapuma of BMC, pushed their advantage out to over a minute.
In the background, Alejandro Valverde of Movistar suffered a puncture, and Alberto Contador of Tinkoff continued his poor luck with crashes when he took a minor spill.
Cycling blogger Mihai Cazacu expected big things from the Spaniard and Orica-BikeExchange's Esteban Chaves:
The pack took caution with the break, which included two Team Sky riders and could give Chris Froome the perfect platform for a late jump. Atapuma crashed out of the group and needed a bike change as well, all but ruining his chances of winning the stage.
Movistar pushed to reduce the gap just as the break entered the city of Bilbao, turning onto the local circuit. Astana joined in on the action, and the outfit put some real pace in the chase, reducing the gap significantly heading into the final lap.
The break was caught ahead of the final climb, and IAM's Dries Devenyns tried his luck almost immediately. The Belgian put together a 30-second advantage before the peloton reacted, and Movistar kept plugging away.
As noted by CafeRoubaix, Devenyns was out to make history:
"Last non-Spanish rider to win a Vuelta a Espana stage in Bilbao was Belgium's Arthur Van de Vyver in 1976. #LV2016
— CafeRoubaix (@CafeRoubaix) September 1, 2016"
But all eyes turned to the background when Contador attacked, with Quintana and Valverde glued to his wheel. Froome lost some space initially but battled his way back to the group.
Daniel Moreno of Movistar eventually calmed things down, but the attack meant all organisation was gone from the peloton, and only a handful of chasers were riding to catch Devenyns. He had 20 seconds after the descent, with six kilometres left to race.
Devenyns pushed with all his might but saw the peloton creep ever closer, and his effort came to an end inside the final two kilometres. A bunch sprint was inevitable, and it was Keukeleire who took the top spot.
As reported by Sadhbh O'Shea of Cycling News, Keukeleire admitted that the win did not come easy:
"I've been going pretty good these days; we knew that it would be hard. Neil Stephens said [that] if you’re there at the final then you can have a crack at it. I can’t say that I was feeling really great today, I was suffering in those climbs. I went for it, and to win is realty amazing.
"
Stage 13 could prove a tricky one, as it will be the longest of this year's Vuelta at over 210 kilometres. No less than seven categorised climbs have to be conquered, and while none of them are particularly steep or long, it could be the perfect territory to set a trap.
A member of the early breakaway is almost certain to win this stage, but one or two GC riders may choose to test their rivals as well. The top riders like Quintana and Froome are unlikely to do so, however, as they'll save their strength for the monstrous Stage 14 and the legendary Col d'Aubisque.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
