Van Aert wins shortened Spanish Vuelta stage amid extreme heat, Mas keeps overall lead

Cordoba, Spain (AP) — Wout van Aert secured victory in the 15th stage of the Spanish Vuelta, a race shortened due to scorching temperatures in southern Spain. The 15th stage was cut from 189 kilometers to 110 kilometers. Race officials decided to reduce the stage length to ensure rider safety and optimal competition conditions.

Enric Mas maintained his overall lead heading into the final week of the Grand Tour. The temperature reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during the shortened stage. The Tour de France also experienced a stage reduction due to a heatwave in France during July. Two years ago, Van Aert claimed his second Vuelta win in Cordoba.

The Belgian rider out-kicked the competition in the final sprint, with Alessandro Romele of XDS Astana finishing second and Thibaut Nys of Lidl-Trek in third place. Wout van Aert expressed pride in his team's performance, stating that "most of the days that we thought we were able to win, we won actually."

Mas currently holds a lead of over two minutes over Félix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM. Primož Roglič of Team Jumbo-Visma secures third place. Mas leads the race since Tour champion Tadej Pogačar withdrew from the competition following a crash the previous weekend, which ended his season. Mas is aiming to win the Vuelta for the first time after finishing second in 2018, 2021, and 2022. No Spaniard has won the Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2014.