Norwegian Triumph and Van Aert’s Green Jersey Quest on Vuelta Stage 7

On the summit finish at Aramón Valdelinares, Norwegian rider Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) attacked from a five-rider breakaway with 7.5 km to go and held on for his first Grand Tour stage win. teammate Tobias Halland Johannessen arrived 34 seconds later, giving Norway a historic one-two, while Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished third, 47 seconds back. The breakaway built a lead of more than a minute, keeping the peloton over six minutes behind for most of the day. The 149.8 km stage ran from Vall d’Alba to the mountain finish, with several categorized climbs before the final Category-1 ascent.

ReutersLeknessund claims a royal success The GuardianVuelta España, stage 7: Leknessund wins from the breakaway RTE (Radio Television of Ireland)Van Aert enlivens stage 7, but Leknessund flies to victory in Valdelinares: Pogacar claws back more time on his rivals

Van Aert collected 20 points at the intermediate sprint and 15 for his third-place finish, raising his total to 104 points—just two ahead of Tadej Pogacar in the points classification and securing the green jersey. Within Visma-Lease a Bike, Matthew Brennan sits third in the points race with 60 points after two stage wins.

'I didn't have confidence in myself' – Wout van Aert bags green jersey but regrets missed opportunity in Vuelta a España breakaway The IndependentIn the spirit of Harald V: Norwegian Uno-X honours late King with a 1-2 finish, Van Aert into green BBC News

Tobias Halland Johannessen explained the team’s plan, saying he let Leknessund’s wheel go to give his teammate the win.

“I didn’t expect it to be this emotional” – Andreas Leknessund fights back tears after Uno-X Vuelta one-two honours King Harald V on day of Norwegian mourning

Wout van Aert said he lacked confidence on the final climb and will conserve energy on future stages while maintaining the climbing legs needed for the green jersey competition.

'I didn't have confidence in myself' – Wout van Aert bags green jersey but regrets missed opportunity in Vuelta a España breakaway

• “It’s been a special day for the team and also for the whole of Norway,” — Andreas Leknessund

The Guardian

• “Honestly, I regret maybe a little bit that I didn't have confidence in myself for the last climb,” — Van Aert

'I didn't have confidence in myself' – Wout van Aert bags green jersey but regrets missed opportunity in Vuelta a España breakaway

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished 19th, 4 min 23 s behind Leknessund, extending his overall lead to 3 min 50 s over Enric Mas (Movistar) and 4 min 50 s over Primož Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Felix Gall moved up to fourth overall, five minutes 01 seconds behind the leader.

Leknessund claims a royal success

Leknessund’s win is Norway’s first Vuelta stage since Thor Hushovd’s 2010 triumph and completes Uno-X’s Grand Tour podium streak on debut. The one-two finish highlights the Scandinavian team’s rising competitiveness in WorldTour races, while Van Aert’s green jersey adds a new dimension to his season, showing versatility beyond classic one-day events.

The Independent