Swiss rider Mauro Schmid takes 4th place in the 12th stage of the Vuelta. As a member of an escape group, he just missed out on a coup. Ben O'Connor remains the leader.
29.08.2024, 18:24
SDA
Mauro Schmid continues to show great commitment in this Tour of Spain, but has not yet been rewarded for his efforts. Five days ago, his small breakaway group was caught twelve kilometers from the finish. This time, the ten escapees made it through on the shortest section of 137.5 km from Ourense to the Manzaneda ski station. However, three proved to be stronger than Schmid.
The Spaniard Pablo Castrillo got away at the beginning of the 15 km long but not too steep final climb, Schmid was the first chaser until four kilometers before the finish. However, the 24-year-old from Zurich did not get any closer than 15 seconds and was overtaken by Max Poole from Great Britain and Marc Soler, another Spaniard, at the end. His success in the 11th stage of the 2021 Giro remains his only victory in a grand tour.
On the twelfth day, Castrillo secured the first Spanish stage win of the year and the biggest success for the small, northern Spanish team Kern Pharma. What's more, its founder had only died the day before.
The overall leaders took it easy and refrained from attacking. The small peloton crossed the finish line six and a half minutes behind, with the Australian surprise leader Ben O'Connor still leading by 3:16 minutes ahead of the top favorite Primoz Roglic. The next mountain top finish awaits in Friday's 13th stage. The 7.5 km long climb to Puerto de Ancaras is expected to be a battle between the favorites due to the extremely steep ramps.
