Jakob Omrzel wins Vuelta stage 12 as Enric Mas extends overall lead by 27 seconds

Solo triumph on Calar Alto

Twenty-year-old Slovenian rider Jakob Omrzel of Bahrain-Victorious claimed victory on stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana after attacking from a 30-man breakaway on the final climb to Calar Alto. The 166.6-kilometre mountain stage from Vera to the Calar Alto summit featured 4,530 metres of total elevation gain across Andalusia. Omrzel broke away solo with 12 kilometres remaining on the 17-kilometre final ascent, which averages a gradient of 5.6 percent. He crossed the finish line at 2,140 metres above sea level in 4 hours, 29 minutes, and 53 seconds. The victory is his first at WorldTour level and comes during his Grand Tour debut, following his win at the 2025 Giro d'Italia Next Gen. Spanish rider Urko Berrade of Kern Pharma finished second at 1 minute and 56 seconds, followed by Omrzel's Colombian teammate Santiago Buitrago in third at 2 minutes and 13 seconds.

Omrzel reflected on his solo win after crossing the line:

I'm not surprised, because I know how much work I put in, and I knew that this day was going to come sooner or later. But for sure I was not expecting it 100% in the first Grand Tour. I still can't believe what I did, but I felt super good, I'm still feeling OK, I'm not tired. So I'm just enjoying it at the moment.

Tactical moves across the mountain passes

The stage opened with an initial breakaway containing Axel Laurance, Ramses Debruyne, and Alexey Lutsenko, though the peloton neutralised the attempt within the first 40 kilometres. A larger group of 30 riders formed soon after, including green jersey holder Wout van Aert, Santiago Buitrago, Urko Berrade, and Movistar satellite rider Raul Garcia Pierna. On the penultimate climb, the 13.1-kilometre Alto de Velefique, Richard Carapaz launched an attack from the peloton but was brought back before the descent. On the final climb, Felix Gall accelerated from the main group of overall contenders, drawing out Enric Mas and Primoz Roglic while British rider Oscar Onley lost contact following an earlier crash. Race leader Mas countered on a steep section 11 kilometres from the finish, bridged across to his teammate Garcia Pierna, and pushed forward alone.

General classification standings

Mas finished sixth on the stage, 2 minutes and 56 seconds behind Omrzel, adding 27 seconds to his general classification advantage over Roglic, Gall, and Carapaz. The three chasers crossed the summit together at 3 minutes and 23 seconds behind the stage winner. Mas has held the red leader jersey since previous race leader Tadej Pogacar abandoned the race following a crash on the previous Saturday. Following stage 12, Mas leads the overall standings with a total time of 40 hours, 31 minutes, and 51 seconds. Four-time Vuelta champion Primoz Roglic sits in second place, 1 minute and 45 seconds behind Mas. Austrian climber Felix Gall holds third position at 2 minutes and 6 seconds back, while Carapaz occupies fourth place at 3 minutes and 53 seconds.

Secondary classifications and stage 13

Omrzel climbed from tenth to sixth place in the general classification, sitting 4 minutes and 59 seconds behind Mas. In the secondary competitions, Visma-Lease a Bike rider Wout van Aert retained the green points jersey with 194 points after leading over the first three categorised climbs of the day. Bahrain-Victorious rider Santiago Buitrago preserved his lead in the mountains classification with 52 points, holding a 22-point advantage over Van Aert. Oscar Onley retained the white jersey as best young rider despite losing nearly three minutes on the stage after his early crash. The race continues with stage 13, a medium mountain route covering the terrain between Almunecar and Loja.