Andreas Leknessund launched a decisive solo attack on the final climb to win stage seven of the Vuelta a España on Friday, claiming his first Grand Tour victory on a day of national mourning in Norway following the death of King Harald V.
The Uno-X Mobility rider broke away from a five-man breakaway 7.5km from the summit finish at Aramón Valdelinares, at the end of a 149.8km route from Vall d'Alba, and held off his teammate and compatriot Tobias Halland Johannessen by 34 seconds. Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike completed the podium in third.
The stage began under a cloud of grief after the death of Norway's King Harald was announced hours before the start. A minute's silence was observed in Vall d'Alba, and the entire Uno-X Mobility squad wore black armbands as a mark of respect.
"It's been a special day for the team and also for the whole of Norway," Leknessund said after crossing the line. "Obviously it's only a small thing in the bigger picture but still, it makes the day more special."
Leknessund had come close on multiple occasions at this year's Giro d'Italia, finishing runner-up three times without breaking through. On his Vuelta debut, he finally made it count.
Van Aert was the instigator of the day's main move, attacking from the gun and dragging Leknessund clear before they were joined by Johannessen, Eddie Dunbar of Pinarello Q36.5 and Alexey Lutsenko of NSN over the top of the first of five categorized climbs.
The five leaders built a comfortable advantage and reached the foot of the final ascent one minute ahead of a chasing group, with the main peloton already out of contention. Johannessen had been instructed to let Leknessund go first.
"I said to Andreas that he should try to go early and then we check if the other guys are willing to work together," Johannessen said. "That's what you always dream about when you try to be two guys in the breakaway and you can play it like this. I think we played it perfectly. A special day with what is happening back home in Norway, so we are super proud."
Behind the breakaway, race leader Tadej Pogačar was content to sit in the peloton before accelerating on the final climb to gain 16 seconds on his closest rival, Enric Mas. The Slovenian now leads the Spaniard by 3 minutes and 50 seconds in the general classification, with Primoz Roglič a further minute back in third.
Felix Gall, fifth overall, attempted to follow Pogačar's move but could not sustain the effort. Stage eight on Saturday is a flat 176.4km route from Pucol to Xeraco.
The result marked the first Vuelta stage win for Uno-X Mobility in their debut at the Spanish Grand Tour, capping an emotional day for the Norwegian outfit.
Sources
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/28/cycling-vuelta-a-espana-andreas-leknessund-stage-seven-win
- https://www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cycling/racing/vuelta-a-espana-andreas-leknessund-tobias-johannessen-solo-away-from-wout-van-aert-in-uno-x-mobility-1-2-on-stage-7/
