Leknessund solos to win Vuelta stage seven at Aramón Valdelinares

Andreas Leknessund won stage seven of the Vuelta a España on 28 August 2026 after launching a solo attack on the final climb to the summit finish at Aramón Valdelinares. His Uno‑X Mobility teammate Tobias Johannessen finished second, and the result came on a day when Norway was in mourning following the death of King Harald.

Leknessund moved clear from a five-rider breakaway 7.5km from the finish, finishing a 149.8km stage that started in Vall d’Alba. The victory was his first Grand Tour stage win and came on his Vuelta debut. A minute’s silence was observed for King Harald before the stage began in Vall d’Alba, and the Uno‑X Mobility team wore black armbands as a mark of respect.

Wout van Aert and Leknessund went clear early and were joined by Tobias Johannessen, Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5) and Alexey Lutsenko (NSN) by the top of the first of five climbs. The five worked together to build a substantial gap, and at the foot of the final climb they were one minute ahead of a chasing group of 13 riders. The peloton was out of the running with less than 10km to the finish.

Leknessund launched his decisive move on the final ascent and held off his rivals to take the stage. Johannessen finished 34sec behind after leaving van Aert close to the line, with van Aert forced to settle for third after spending much of the day out front. Leknessund had finished runner-up three times at this year’s Giro d’Italia.

Tadej Pogacar, who had already won three stages, rode with the peloton before accelerating from his general classification rivals approaching the summit to pick up additional seconds. He gained 16sec on Enric Mas and now leads Mas by 3min 50sec, with Primoz Roglic a further minute behind in third. Felix Gall, fifth overall, attempted to break away from Pogacar but the Slovene responded.

“It’s been a special day for the team and also for the whole of Norway,” Leknessund said. “Obviously it’s only a small thing in the bigger picture but still, it ‌makes the day more special.” “I didn’t expect it to be this emotional, but for sure there’s so much feelings around this,” Leknessund added. “I’ve ​been fighting really hard, and it means a ‌lot.”

“I said ⁠to Andreas that he should try to go early and then we check if the ​other guys are willing to work together,” ​Johannessen said. “That’s what you always dream about ​when you try to be two guys in the breakaway and you can play it ​like this. I think we ‌played it perfectly. “A special ​day with what is ​happening back home in Norway so we are super proud.”

Stage eight on Saturday is a flat 176.4km route from Pucol to Xeraco, which follows the summit finish at Aramón Valdelinares as the next stage of the race.