Juan Ayuso wins Vuelta stage 12 as Jonas Vingegaard retains lead

Juan Ayuso of UAE Team Emirates-XRG won stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana in a sprint finish against fellow Spaniard Javier Romo, securing his second stage victory in this year's race. The 144.9 km stage from Laredo to Los Corrales de Buelna saw the pair break away from a large leading group about 25 kilometers from the finish, with Ayuso timing his final sprint perfectly to overtake Romo near the line. France's Brieuc Rolland finished third, 13 seconds behind the leaders, while overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard maintained his position, finishing safely with the peloton over six minutes later. Vingegaard, riding for Visma-Lease a Bike, continues to hold a 50-second lead over Portugal's Joao Almeida, with Britain's Tom Pidcock in third place. The stage passed without the disturbances seen in stage 11, despite pro-Palestinian protests along the route. Attention now turns to Friday's challenging 202.7 km 13th stage, featuring a brutal summit finish on the Angliru climb, where the general classification race is expected to intensify.