Vuelta Stage 12: Danny van Poppel wins for Trek Factory Racing in Lleida

Danny van Poppel of Trek Factory Racing overcame a late mechanical issue to win Stage 12 of the Vuelta in Lleida this afternoon, as the day's five man break was thwarted with the line in sight. Daryl Impey of Orica-GreenEdge was second with Lotto-Soudal's Tosh Van Der Sande third. Astana's Fabio Aru retains the overall lead.

The peloton had kept the break on a fairly tight leash throughout the 173 kilometre stage from Escaldes-Endorgany in Andorra, with Giant-Alpecin, working for John Degenkolb, and Trek Factory Racing driving the pace.

The latter team's efforts seemed likely to be in vain as their sprinter van Poppel had a problem with his bike around 10 kilometres out.

That gave a glimmer of hope to the escapees - Maxime Bouet of Etixx-Quick Step, Miguel Ángel Rubiano from Team Colombia, LottoNL-Jumbo's Bert Jan Lindeman, Alexis Gougeard of Ag2r-La Mondiale and the MTN-Qhubeka rider, Jaco Venter.

The quintet had an advantage of half a minute heading into the final five kilometres and with no one tema dominating the leadout behind, it seemed that they might have a chance of carrying the day, with Venter attacking just before the flamme rouge.

But with the MTN-Qhubeka man and Bouet looking at each other, they were swept up in the closing few hundred metres as van Poppel, who had seemed to be out of the equation, came through for the win.