Vuelta a España rollercoaster for Visma-Lease A Bike as Wout van Aert leads but Dylan van Baarle crashes out

OUREM PORTUGAL AUGUST 18 Wout van Aert of Belgium and Team Visma Lease a Bike celebrates at podium as Red Leader Jersey winner during the 79th La Vuelta Ciclista a Espana 2024 Stage 2 a 194km stage from Cascais to Ourem UCIWT on August 18 2024 in Ourem Portugal Photo by Tim de WaeleGetty Images
Wout van Aert is the new overall leader at the Vuelta a Espana. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Visma-Lease a Bike could hardly have had more mixed feelings after stage 2 of the Vuelta a España as Wout van Aert secured the overall lead, but the squad simultaneously had to regret Dylan van Baarle becoming the first rider of the race to abandon.

Van Baarle had barely crossed the line on Saturday in Lisbon, finishing just two seconds behind winner Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), before he declared that there was “everything to play for” in the battle for the overall lead.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.