Pablo Castrillo Triumphs in Vuelta a Espana’s Stage 12

Pablo Castrillo triumphed in Stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana, navigating Northwestern Spain's rugged climbs. The 23-year-old surged ahead with a decisive attack 10km from the finish. His victory, the first in a Grand Tour stage, saw him smile with 100 meters to go. Britain's Max Poole and Spain’s Marc Soler completed the podium.

Pablo Castrillo clinched victory in Stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana, conquering the mountainous terrain in Northwestern Spain on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Spaniard initiated a stunning attack with 10km remaining, quickly establishing a half-minute lead over the main chase group with 4km to go. Castrillo fended off the group of four trailing behind him throughout the final ascent. In the last hundred meters, he broke into a smile, knowing he would secure his first Grand Tour stage win.

'The breakaway was very hard to make. The other guys were very strong. I was nervous for the finale but I decided to attack on the flat, leading me to the stage victory,' Castrillo said. 'I thought about attacking with 7 or 8 kilometres to go but saw the others hesitating, so I went with 10 kilometres.'

Britain's Max Poole surged ahead of the chasing group at the finish to take second place, while Marc Soler rounded off a memorable day for Spain by securing third. Australia's Ben O'Connor retained his lead in the general classification, finishing 14th in the stage and maintaining his three-minute, 16-second advantage over Slovenia's Primoz Roglic.

'It was a tricky start, really hard. Then we just controlled the race, made some pace on the final climb,' O'Connor said.

(With inputs from agencies.)