The 2021 Vuelta a España was the 76th edition of Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Vuelta began in Burgos on 14 August, and Stage 12 from Jaén to Córdoba occurred on 26 August. The race finished in Santiago de Compostela on 5 September.
Classification standings
Stage 12
26 August 2021 – Jaén to Córdoba,
The twelfth stage featured a hilly course from Jaén to Córdoba. The first featured undulating terrain before a flat section led the riders into Córdoba for the first passage through the finish line and the intermediate sprint after of racing. after the intermediate sprint, the riders headed to the third-category climb of the Alto de San Jeronimo, which is long with an average gradient of 3.3 percent. After a descent, the riders headed back to Córdoba where they passed through the finish line for the second time with to go. Afterwards, the riders immediately climbed the second-category Alto del 14%, a climb with an average gradient of 5.6 percent, with bonus seconds on offer to the first three riders across the top. The final of the climb averaged 9.4 percent in gradient. The climb crested with left, with a descent and a flat section leading back to the finish line in Córdoba.
Much like the previous two days, there was another long fight for the breakaway as the pace remained high for the first of racing. Inside the final , Mikel Iturria (), Sander Armée (), and Sebastian Berwick () were finally able to establish a gap over the peloton. Five more riders attempted to bridge up to the break, eventually making contact up front with to go. The eight riders attained a lead of around a minute before came to the front of the peloton to control the break. As the break reached the Alto de San Jeronimo, Chad Haga () was called back by his team from the break. With to go, a crash took down several riders in the peloton, including Primož Roglič () and Adam Yates (), but all riders eventually got back up and returned to the peloton. Near the top, Iturria attacked his breakaway companions, but he was eventually chased back down.
On the short valley before the Alto del 14%, the break began to splinter as Maxim Van Gils () went solo off the front, with the peloton closing in at around half a minute down. Jonathan Lastra () attempted to bridge up to Van Gils but both riders were caught by the peloton on the climb. Towards the top of the climb, a quartet of attackers composed of Giulio Ciccone (), Jay Vine (), Romain Bardet (), and Sergio Henao () pulled away from the peloton, building up a lead of half a minute over the peloton at the summit. On the descent, Ion Izagirre () and Matteo Trentin () attempted to bridge up front but they were caught by the -led peloton. The quartet was gradually brought back, with Vine soloing off the front as the catch was being made before the final kilometre; Vine was eventually brought back within the final kilometre. In the final sprint to the line, Jens Keukeleire () led out his sprinter, Magnus Cort, with Andrea Bagioli () on Cort's wheel. Cort held off Bagioli to win his second stage by half a wheel. Michael Matthews () finished third while Trentin finished fourth. The top ten remained unchanged and Odd Christian Eiking () kept the red jersey.
Stage 13
27 August 2021 – Belmez to Villanueva de la Serena,
The thirteenth stage featured a flat parcours with rolling terrain that was expected to suit the pure sprinters. At long, this was the longest stage of this year’s Vuelta. There were no categorized climbs on the route, but it featured some minor lumps. The intermediate sprint took place in Don Benito with to go before the finish in Villanueva de la Serena.