Belgium's Wout van Aert showcased his power to win stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana, pulling away from Valentin Paret-Peintre in a sprint to the finish. The duo had broken away from a large group of 43 riders on the 192.8km route from Almunecar to Loja, with Van Aert's strength proving decisive in the final kilometres.
Britain's Matthew Brennan, a team-mate of Van Aert at Visma-Lease a Bike, secured third place. Overall race leader Enric Mas maintained his advantage, arriving three minutes later with the other general classification favourites, holding a one minute and 45 second lead over Primoz Roglic.
Meanwhile, in the Tour of Britain, Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij triumphed in a chaotic sprint finish on stage three. Kooij edged out Tim Merlier at the end of the 181.1km stage from Hull to Beverley, marking his eighth stage victory in the race. Britain's Lewis Askey finished 17th with the same time, retaining his lead in the general classification.
The peloton in the Vuelta a Espana is set for a challenging mountain stage on Saturday, covering 154.5km from Jaen to La Pandera.