Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 12 of the Vuelta a España - it🐟's set to be an ex🦋citing day as we head back into the mountains!

Before we get stuck intꦐo tod𝄹ay's, rather juicy, stage. 

Here's a recap of yesterday's breakaway battle.

Vuelta a España: Eddie Dunbar𝔉 solos to stage 11 victory from breakaway

There was also some movement in the GC standings yesterday, with Primož Roglič clawing back more time on Ben O'Connor and Enric Mas moving up to third.

We'll dive into the GC movers an🌳d shakers more once the racing is underway.

Onto today's stage🎐 and the neutral start is due in just over 20 minutes time.

The flag drop is estimated for 13:29 BST.

The Vuelta loves a cool stage start location, and t🥀oday's in Ourense Termal is nꦜo different.

Before the neutralꦜ start begins here in Galicia, we can confirm one DNS for stage 12.

Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto Ds𓆏tny) is reported to have been experiencing significant discomfort in his lungs so has abandoned the race.

Today's stage, at jus𒈔t 137.5km, is the shortest of the 2024 Vu𓄧elta a España.

Here's the rou🤡te for today's short but potentially explosive sta🐈ge.

Only one categoris🔯ed climb, but it'll likely be tackled 🎃at a ferocious pace.

And the riders have gone ⛎for the neutral start here in🔜 Ourense Termal.

The town has attracted visitors for the past 2,000📖 years thanks to its thermal baths where temperatures reach over 60&o💞rdm;C.

We've reached kilometr🌊e 0, and the racing is under🐈way!

In no time at all, we've got some escapees.

Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech), Je🌼sús Herrada (Cofidis) and Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern ꧂Pharma) are attacking.

It looks as though the trio couldn't make it stick. We'🅺re all back together again.

There's been a split in the bunch. Movistar are working hard in the second group to bring things back tꦇogether.

10 second gap currently.

Just as the groups merge aga🌟in, Wout van Aert sets ♋off in attack.

He's not given much distance beforꩵe being caught, though.

125km to go

We've had an average speed of 44.3km/h so far.

We sense another drawn o♚ut battle for the br🦩eak today.

Another three riders try their luck.

Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike), Mathis Le Ber꧃re (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Reuben Thompson (Groupama-FDJ).

Co🃏nsidering the battle for the break, the first point of reward any escapees may reaꦦp from is over 80km away at the day's intermediate sprint.

We're back together yet again. 

20km of racing so f🔥ar, and nothing to show from it.

While there might not be much of not happeni🌼ng here in Galicia, our tech team have been busy putting 11 WorldTour-level superbikes through a wind tunnel test to determine which is actually the ꦑfastest. 

Wind tunnel tested: 11 superbikes go h♑ead to head 

Nine riders have ♈now pushed on, forcing a small gap, including Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates).

A second seven-m🙈an group, including van Aert and Dani Martínez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) has managede to slip away.

The leading pack has 30 se𒊎conds on the bunch now. The chasers are just 10 seconds behind them and look set to make the bridge.

There are aroun𝓰d 25 riders up the road now🌜, split across two groups. 

Attacks are still coming from the peloton too, so this might not be over ♐just yet.

The🔴 peloton have reeled in th🌜e second group, now just nine riders remain up the road with a slender lead.

It wouldn't be surp൲rising if this൲ group is let off down the road.

Har♕old Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan) is the biggest threat on GC at 17:32.

Red Bullꦑ-Bora-Hansgrohe are setting the pace at the front of the bunch.

In fact, Alek🔯sandr Vlasov has just set off on an attack of his own.&nbs🎐p;

Is there something brewing here from Roglič's team?

Red Bull look to be creating a road block, this 𒈔might be our𒁃 break for the day.

Jhonatan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers) has made it across to the lead group.&nbsꦚp;

Michael Woods is doing his best to get there too.

The gap back to the bunch is over two minutes.

Woods a✤nd Laurens Huys (Arkéa-B&B Hotel🔯s) are 39 seconds in arrears of the leaders.

And just like t🍬hat, we've already ridden ꧂50km today.

Woods ꧑and Huys are still fighting to bridge across but they seem to be going backwards.

Four minutes between the leaders and peloton nowꦰ, with the chase duo a minute back from the lead pac🌱k of ten riders.

There might 🎃only be one categorised climb todﷺay, but the stage is anything but flat.

There's only a handful of kilometres that🐓 are flat across the f🥂ull 137.5km route.

Some strong words from Ricꩵhard Carapaz after his cras♒h during yesterday's stage.

&lsqu🔯o;The UCI has to apply the rules’ – EF call for acꦐtion after Richard Carapaz-Decathlon incident at Vuelta a España

And breathe! After a frenetic start, things have calmed do♕wn now iꦍn Galicia. 

The gap is on its ꧃way towards seven minutes and it looks as if Woods and Huys have aborted their chase attempts.

Now that we've got the day's break settled, let's take a look🐽 through the GC🍨 standings ahead of today's summit finish.

While there was no change in the red jersey, Roglič clawed back 37 seconds on Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale's Ben O'Connor. 

Meanwhile, Enric Mas' 🐎strong display helped him leap💞frog a bruised Richard Carapaz into third.

Carlos Rodríguez🤪 moved into the lead of the white jersey competition alongside moving up to sixth in the overall standings.

George Bennett, after a strong breakaway showin♍g, was the other big mover, as he jumps up﷽ to tenth, still 5:46 in arrears.

Woods and Huys have now been tagged 🅠by the pe🏅loton.

70km to go

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale are contr🌄olling proceedings in the bunch.

The battle for today's break was hectic 𝐆to say the least!

The gap has gone all the way out to 8:15 now.

Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ) abandoned today's🔴 stage not 🌄too long ago.

A second day in the break for Jhonata𓆏n Narváez. He's got his teammate Óscar Rod🍒ríguez in there for company today too.

This finishing climb might be too tough fꦏor the Ecuador🦋ian national champion, though.

🦹25km to go until the intermediate sprint in Sas de Penel𒁃as.

Wout van Aert is back at the doctor's car.

Adam Yates 𝓡could be in danger of losing his polka-dot jeꦇrsey today. 

There are 10 points up for grabs at the finish today, with the UAE Team Emirates rider currently tied-leader with Wout van Aert, and Primož Roglič four points behind.

Max Poole (DSM-Firmenich Pos🐎tNL), third on yesterday's stage, could be one to watch for today's finale.

As mentioned earlier, Carlos Rodr✤íguez moved into the white jersey yesterday.

However, the Spaniard only leads Florian Lipowitz by six sec🧸onds, meaning the jersey is wellᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ in play on today's stage.

50km to go

An attack from Nar🌜váez, perhaps to up the pace in the break.

Tꦅen minutes between tꦕhe lead group and the bunch currently. 

Decathlon A♛G2R La Mondiale c🍒ould be attempting to remove any chance of bonus seconds for their GC rivals.

40km to go

"Where are we heading?" we hear you ask! 

The Estación de Montaña Manzaneda. 🃏It last featured in La Vuelta 13 years ago, when David Moncoutié with a 6km solo on stage 11.

The leaders rolled through t☂he intermediate sprint without much compe🍌tition.

We're struggling to find confirmation of whoꦦ took the maximum points so far.

Mauri Vansevenant took the full 20 points. He was followed ov🐎er by Verona, Tejada, Meintjes and Castrillo, taking 17,15,13 and 10, respectively.

A few more hills to tackle and the break will be on the🧜 final climb.

25km to go

This was the scene for much of today in the peloton but now we're s🍬eeing other GC teams begin to set the pace.

Here's the profile of the climb. 

There are sever🌞al plateaus but that final kicker at 12% will likely be a place where GC contenders will attempt to c🔜reate fireworks.

The gap has shortened to 8:30 now but it's unlikely that the peloton will reel the break in complete🐬ly.

With several riders participating in their second breakaway in as many days, cou🎃ld we see fatigue kick in shortly?

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale�🌃� are back in control of the bunch. 

With Ineos having two riders in this 10-man breakaway, could they turn the climb into 😼a numbers' game? Óscar Ro🐷dríguez is a Vuelta stage winner before, back in 2018.

Will we see another late attack from Roglič today?

We're on the early 𒈔slopes of the Estaci&oacuꦆte;n de Montaña Manzaneda (15.9km at 4.7%.)

Mar🌠c Soler is the first to test t⛎he rest of the breakaway's legs. 

Narváez is quickly on his wheel.

Just as the group came back together, Carlos Verona set off❀ in attack. 

His move was strongerജ than Soler's, ꦑbut can it stick?

Rodríguez is sitting at the back of the group as Verona goes yet aga꧒in.

The ꧒peloton's gap is trickling back down to seven minutes no♒w.

Verona has 15 seconds worth of a lead.

Soler turns the ඣscrew, shredding the gap up to Verona in the p𝄹rocess.

Verona is tagged and Castrillo takes🌟 it as his cue to launch an attack.

Soler and Rodríguez are attempting to bridge acros💙s to Castrillo.

Some riders in the break are rea🦋lly in the red now.

He's been quite 🥂quiet today, but Mauro Schmid is the next rider to set off in hunt𝐆 of Castrillo. 

The Spaniard has just over 10 seconds.

8km to go

Plenty of gaps emerging between the escapees now.

Castrillo is still hanging out in front while the rest of the chasing p▨ack decides who w🐻ants to work.

Castrillo has benefited from t🃏h꧑is confusion. He's now 25 seconds ahead of the chasers.

Maur🥂o Schmid is equidistant between the Equipo Kern Pharma rider and the chasers.

Rodrígu🐎ez is setti꧃ng the pace for the chase group.

5km to go

Castrillo is reportedly 🤡without a contract for the 20๊25 season. 

That might change rather quickly after today's s꧒howing.

Narváez has attacked from the chase group with 💖Max Poole. 

There's a 35-s🐬econd gap between the main breakaway groups.

There's still the steepest raওmp of the climb to come, which reach♓es 12% in places.

Marc Soler has bridged over to th♎e chase group containing Poole, Schm෴id and Narváez now. 

They s♊till sit 25 seconds behind Cast💫rillo, though.

The Equipo Kern Pharma's head is swinging from side to side, he🎀's in a whole world of pai🍸n right now.

The organisation in 𓆉the chase group is limiting their efforts🍌.

Soler punches out with 2km remaining.

It's 'cat and mouse' in the chase group, this could ജbe the end of their stage hopes.

1200m for Castrillo. He looks to be ♛in a really strong 🍨position.

1km to go

31 seconds for the Equipo Kern Pharma rider now꧃. Surely the stage is his?

Just 250m for the 23-year-old.

Max Poole is in pursuit!

But stage 12 of the Vuelta a E🐭spꦅaña goes to Pablo Castrillo. 

What a day to get your first professi🎐onal victory!

Th💟e Equipo😼 Kern Pharma man is swarmed by microphones as he catches his breath.

He becomes the 225th Spaniar✅d to win a stage at La Vuelt♒a.

Back in the peloton, there's a fast pace amongst the GC favourites' teaไms.

Carapaz is the man leading the group home.

It doesn't look like we'll get any big splits between the GC men t𒅌oday. They're saving their efforts for the high mountains ahead.

No time gaps between the GC men today.

Here's the stage standings from today.

There's plenty of tears from the Equipo Kern Pharma team 🌠staff and Castrillo hi𝓡mself too.

Speaking at the finish line, Pablo Castrilไlo said:

"It's an amazing victory.🍨 It's unb💃elievable, this is for the team and staff.

"The breakaway was very hard, it didn't start for 3⛦0km. The others in the breakaway were strong guys. I was very n🦩ervous for the final, but I decided to attack in the flat and the stage victory [came]."

No movement in the overall standings today.

Ben O'Connor remains in the red jersey for another day, with Roglič 3:16 behind.

Max Poole 𒐪was third yesterday and second today, here's what he had to say at💧 the finish line:

"[I'm] disappointed, we gave it a good go again today. Disappoꦏinted.  Ineos had two guys and it's normal that everyone looked at them to close the gap.

"I think immediately after a stage there's always going to be these feelings. To come so close two days in a row is൲ crushing."

Race leader Ben O’Connor wipes away his Twitter account 'because I’m sick of other people’s opinions'. His actions were in response to stage 11 incidents that saw Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) craꦡsh and four members of Decathlon - one director and three riders - receive penalties and, in some cases, fines. Decathlon team defend themselves and say they did 'nothing wrong'. Read the latest.

‘We did absolutely nothing wrong’ - Decathlon AG2R deliver defences in Carapaz Vuelta a España incident

Richard Carapaz says "respect is being lost in th🙈e peloton", related to his crash on stage 11 when the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale squad received yellow cards♑ and fines for blocking his attempt to attack. 

'A lack of respect' – Richard Carapaz dismayed by Decathlon AG2R's reaction to Vuelta a España crash

Friday's stage 13 heads into higher mountains with 171km stage from Lugo to Puer🧜to de Ancares. Check out the preview. 

'Get from A to B as fast as possible' – Ben O'Connor braced for all-out test on Puerto de Ancares