Andreas Leknessund Wins Vuelta Stage Seven With Solo Summit Attack

Andreas Leknessund claimed his first Grand Tour stage victory with a solo attack on the final climb of stage seven at the Vuelta a España. The Norwegian broke clear 7.5km from the summit finish at Aramón Valdelinares and stayed away to lead an Uno-X Mobility one-two, according to reporting by Reuters published by The Guardian.

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The 149.8km stage began in Vall d’Alba and featured five climbs. Leknessund and Wout van Aert escaped early before Tobias Johannessen, Eddie Dunbar and Alexey Lutsenko joined them by the top of the opening climb, forming the five-rider group that ultimately contested the stage.

With less than 10km remaining, the five leaders held a one-minute advantage over a 13-rider chase group, while the peloton was no longer in contention for the stage win. Leknessund made the first move from the breakaway on the closing ascent, and none of the other four riders could follow.

Johannessen finished 34 seconds behind his teammate after dropping Van Aert near the finish. Van Aert, who had initiated the early move and spent much of the day at the front with Leknessund, took third. Leknessund had previously recorded three runner-up finishes at this year’s Giro d’Italia before earning the victory on his Vuelta debut.

The result came as Norway mourned the death of King Harald. A minute of silence was observed before the start in Vall d’Alba, and Uno-X Mobility riders wore black armbands. Reuters reported that both Leknessund and Johannessen described the victory as significant for their team and country while acknowledging the wider events at home.

Tadej Pogacar retained control of the general classification after attacking his main rivals near the summit. The Slovenian gained 16 seconds on second-placed Enric Mas and extended his overall lead to three minutes and 50 seconds. Primoz Roglic remained third overall, a further minute behind Mas. Stage eight is scheduled as a flat 176.4km route from Pucol to Xeraco on Saturday.