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Leknessund wins Vuelta stage 7 after late attack

8/29/2026

Summary

Leknessund Wins Stage

Andreas Leknessund won stage seven of the Vuelta a España in Spain.
He attacked from a five-rider breakaway 7.5 km from the finish.
Tobias Johannessen finished second, 34 seconds behind Leknessund, after dropping Wout van Aert.
Wout van Aert took third place and assumed the points classification lead.
The stage featured five categorized climbs and a 9.8 km, 5.9 % final ascent.

Summary

Pogacar Urges Unity

Tadej Pogacar urged Visma to select one rider for the green jersey, warning split efforts.
Visma currently fields two green-jersey contenders: Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan.
Matthew Brennan sits third in the points classification with 60 points, behind van Aert’s 104.
Visma plans van Aert to chase intermediate-sprint points on hilly stages while Brennan targets flat sprint finishes.
Tadej Pogacar leads the King of the Mountains classification after stage 7.

History

Historical Context

Before the 2021 rule change, the Vuelta gave equal points on every stage, so the green jersey often mirrored the overall leader—as in 2012 when John Degenkolb’s five stage wins left him behind Alejandro Valverde in the points race. The 2021 overhaul rewards flat-stage finishes, leading teams like Visma to run dual leaders such as Wout van Aert, echoing tactics seen when the points classification launched in 1945.

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Leknessund Wins Stage

Andreas Leknessund won stage seven of the Vuelta a España in Spain.
He attacked from a five-rider breakaway 7.5 km from the finish.
Tobias Johannessen finished second, 34 seconds behind Leknessund, after dropping Wout van Aert.
Wout van Aert took third place and assumed the points classification lead.
The stage featured five categorized climbs and a 9.8 km, 5.9 % final ascent.

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