Green jersey holder Wout van Aert was forced to withdraw from the Vuelta a España following a crash on stage 16. Spanish cyclist Marc Soler of UAE Team Emirates secured victory on the challenging mountainous stage.
Soler completed the stage 18 seconds ahead of Italian rider Filippo Zana. British cyclist Max Poole finished third, just behind Zana, in a tight finish for the podium places.
Despite the setback, general classification leader Ben O’Connor managed to retain his lead over Primož Roglič. O’Connor’s advantage has now been reduced to 5 seconds.
Van Aert, who had previously won three stages of this year’s tour, crashed with approximately 48 kilometers remaining. After initially remounting his bike, he was forced to stop again and was attended to in his team’s car, clutching his knee. Van Aert, who earned bronze in the Paris 2024 Olympic time trial, was leading both the mountain and points classifications before his withdrawal.
The race continues with stage 17 on Wednesday, a 141.5-kilometer route from Arneuro to Santander, featuring medium mountains.
