Van Aert wins Vuelta stage 13, Mas retains red jersey

Almuncar, Spain witnessed a thrilling Vuelta a Espana stage 13 on Friday as Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert emerged victorious, defeating Valentin Paret-Peintre in a two-man sprint finish. As van Aert launched a decisive attack with around four kilometers remaining, Paret-Peintre attempted to overtake him in the final 200 meters but succumbed, allowing van Aert to claim the win.

Dutch points leader Enric Mas, who wore the red jersey, chose not to challenge for the stage, finishing three minutes behind the peloton, while maintaining a one-minute and 45-second lead over Primoz Roglic, who secured second place overall. The Belgian cyclist, a three-time cyclo-cross world champion, shared that the stage posed a significant challenge, with attacks from the beginning.

The 31-year-old also noted the nice companion he had during the final attack with Valentin Paret-Peintre. Unfortunately, Austrian Decathlon CMA CGM rider Gregor Muehlberger suffered a crash during a climb and later abandoned the race. The medium-mountainous stage, one of the longest in the race, saw a large group break away, with van Aert part of it from the start.

Van Aert's teammate Matthew Brennan finished third, while the following day's mountainous 152.7-kilometer ride from Jaen to Sierra de la Pandera will test the riders' endurance.