Van Aert Crashes Out as Soler Triumphs in Stage 16 of Vuelta a España

Wout van Aert, holder of the green jersey, was forced to abandon the Vuelta a España after a crash on stage 16, which saw Spanish rider Marc Soler take victory in a challenging mountainous stage.

Soler, riding for UAE Team Emirates, secured the win with an 18-second lead over Italy’s Filippo Zana. The stage, marked by treacherous terrain, also saw British rider Max Poole finish third, just behind Zana.

Van Aert’s exit came after a collision on a descent with 48km remaining. Although he briefly remounted his bike, the Belgian, who had already claimed three stage victories in this year’s race, was unable to continue and had to withdraw, clutching his knee as he received medical attention from his team’s support car.

In the general classification, Australian rider Ben O’Connor narrowly maintained his lead over Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic. O’Connor’s advantage has now slimmed to just 5 seconds, setting the stage for a thrilling battle in the final stages.

Stage 16 Results:

1. Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) – 4hrs 44mins 46secs
2. Filippo Zana (Ita/Jayco-AlUla) – +18secs
3. Max Poole (GB/Team DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) – +23secs
4. Jay Vine (Aus/UAE Team Emirates) – +57secs
5. Ion Izagirre (Spa/Cofidis) – +1min 2secs
6. Isaac del Toro (Mex/UAE Team Emirates) – +1min 29secs
7. Marco Frigo (Ita/Israel-Premier Tech) – +1min 35secs
8. Mattew Riccitello (USA/Israel-Premier Tech) – +1min 47secs
9. Enrique Mas (Spa/Movistar) – +3mins 54secs
10. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) – +3mins 54secs

General Classification After Stage 16:

1. Ben O’Connor (Aus/Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale) – 65hrs 9mins
2. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull – Bora-Hansgrohe) – +5secs
3. Enrique Mas (Spa/Movistar) – +1min 25secs
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) – +1min 46secs
5. Mikel Landa (Spa/Soudal – Quick-Step) – +2mins 18secs
6. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama – FDJ) – +3mins 48secs
7. Carlos Rodriguez (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) – +3mins 53secs
8. Mattias Skjelmose (Den/Lidl-Trek) – +4mins
9. Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull – Bora-Hansgrohe) – +4mins 27secs
10. Pavel Sivakov (Fra/UAE Team Emirates) – +5mins 19secs

Stage 17, spanning 141.5km, will see riders tackling another series of medium mountains from Arneuro to Santander, with the general classification still very much up for grabs.