Santiago Buitrago, a Colombian cyclist representing Bahrain Victorious, won Stage 12 of the Vuelta a España 2026. ^[1] Alexey Lutsenko of NSN did not start stage 13 of the Vuelta a España on 2026-09-04 after falling ill overnight. ^[2] Alexey Lutsenko finished second in the Alto de Velefique climb, losing two seconds to Santiago Buitrago. ^[3] Buitrago won the Alto de Velefique climb, which is classified as a first-category ascent, earning him ten points. ^[4] By winning the Alto de Velefique climb, Santiago Buitrago retained the mountain classification leader's jersey, known as the 'camiseta'. ^[5] Alexey Lutsenko finished fourth on stage 12 of the Vuelta a España, which concluded atop Calar Alto. ^[6] Race leader Enric Mas and his Movistar team will need to be vigilant to control the early attacks on stage 13, as it will likely be very hard to control. ^[7] Stage 13 of the Vuelta a España features three official climbs that are front-loaded, making it an inviting springboard for strong climbers to join the breakaway. ^[8]