Emotional victory: Underdog Castrillo delivers the Spaniards on stage 12 of the Vuelta

Not the big Movistar team, but the small Equipo Kern Pharma, a team from cycling's second division that is competing in the Vuelta a Espana 2024 with a wildcard, has secured the first Spanish one-day victory at the Vuelta this year. Pablo Castrillo won the mountain finish in Mazaneda out of a breakaway group ahead of Max Poole (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates).

The 23-year-old Spaniard had broken away from a breakaway group of ten riders on the final climb and saved an eight-second lead to the finish. It is also Castrillo's first professional victory and his team's second win of the season after a stage at the Alpes Isere Tour. Castrillo's success was particularly emotional given that the team had received the news of the death of team founder Manolo Azcona on the day of the biggest success in its history. Castrillo's thoughts were with Azcona at the moment of victory.

I would like to dedicate the win to my team, my family and a very special person who passed away last night - Pablo Castrillo

The red jersey remains on the shoulders of Ben O'Connor, who reached the finish line together with his rivals around six and a half minutes after Castrillo.

Vuelta a Espana 2024 - Results: the top 10 of stage 12

1. Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma) 3:36:12
2. Max Poole (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:08
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) +0:16
4. Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco-AlUla) +0:23
5. Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:34
6. Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal - Quick Step) +0:40
7. Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan Team) +0:49
8. Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) +1:03
9. Louis Meintjes (Intermarche-Wanty) +1:13
10. Oscar Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +1:52

The overall standings

1. Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) 47:37:35
2. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +3:16
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:58
4. Richard Carapaz (EF Education EasyPost) +4:10
5. Mikel Landa (Soudal - Quick Step) +4:40
6. Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +5:23
7. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +5:29
8. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) +5:30
9. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +5:30
10. George Bennett (Israel-Premier Tech) +5:46

>> All stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 at a glance

>> Yellow card flood: O'Connor deletes X account

>> The start list

>> TV broadcast & live stream

How the 12th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 went

Before the start there was the next prominent cancellation at the Tour of Spain 2024: Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dstny). The Belgian tour hopeful had to end the race prematurely with lung problems. Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ) was another rider to drop out during the stage.

Ten riders in the breakaway group

It took around 70 kilometres before the day's breakaway group broke away. Ten riders rode away by a maximum of ten minutes: Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Oscar Rodriguez, Jhonatan Narvaez (both Ineos Grenadiers), Louis Meintjes (Intermarche-Wanty), Max Poole (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal - Quick Step), Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco-AlUla). Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) and Laurens Huys (Arkea-B&B Hotels) were two men in the chase at one point. However, the duo quickly gave up and dropped back into the peloton.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale and overall leader Ben O'Connor controlled the action there. The biggest threat in the overall standings came from Tejada, who was 17:32 minutes behind. It took until 14 kilometres before the finish for Marc Soler to open the finale in the leading group, but he was unable to get away.

Decisive attack from Castrillo

One attack followed the next. It was the Spaniard Pablo Castriollo who was the first rider to break away decisively on a flat section of the final climb ten kilometres before the finish. A short time later, Mauro Schmid set off in pursuit, and the poker game continued behind him.

Four and a half kilometres before the finish, Jhonatan Narvaez and Max Poole broke away from the chasing group to the front. The Ecuadorian and the Brit caught up with the Swiss Schmid - Marc Soler also came back. But it was already too late to catch Castrillo. The young Spaniard finished with a narrow lead over Poole and made the big surprise perfect.

No attacks from the favourites

After Primoz Roglic's attack the day before, nothing happened among the favourites on the final climb. The top 10 reached the finish together. It should be a different story on Friday, as the final climb of the 13th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 With ramps of up to 15 per cent, the ride to the Puerto de Ancares is of a completely different calibre than the ride to the Manzaneda mountain station.