Vuelta: Leknessund Pulls Off a Solo Victory in Valdelinares

Andreas Leknessund caps off a day to remember at the 2026 Vuelta a España. The Norwegian rider from Uno-X Mobility won the seventh stage with a spectacular solo effort, claiming victory on the uphill finish at Aramón Valdelinares. For the 1999-born rider, this marks his first career victory in a Grand Tour and his eighth win as a professional.

An attack built with patience and executed at the decisive moment. Leknessund made his move about seven kilometers from the finish line, gradually shaking off his former breakaway companions and charging toward the finish without looking back. Behind him, it’s a huge celebration for Uno-X Mobility, which completed a splendid one-two finish thanks to Tobias Halland Johannessen’s second-place finish.

It was also a special day for Norwegian cycling, marked by mourning for the death of King Harald V. For Uno-X, there’s another significant milestone: the Norwegian team completes its personal hat trick of Grand Tour victories in the 2026 season, following wins at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.

Wout Van Aert takes the third step on the podium. The Belgian rider from Visma | Lease a Bike was one of the key figures in the breakaway from the very start and still managed to secure an important finish, in addition to earning valuable points toward the green jersey. Fourth, 58 seconds behind, was Slovenian Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious), who staged a strong comeback in the final stretch. The top Italian finisher was Filippo Zana, in twelfth place.