Hola and welcome to live coverage of Stage 12 of La Vuelta - a 171.4km undulating ride through the Basque Country from Navarra to Bilbao via four Cat.3 climbs.

We're approaching the first climb of the day, which may finally force a selection. It's been a real tussle so far for aspiring escapees who have been given no joy by the rampaging pack.

Quentin Jauregui (Ag2R-La Mondiale) and Rémi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quick Step) are the latest duo to try their luck. Cavagna was in the move yesterday, but this one comes to nothing. Again.

We're now officially half way through this Vuelta!

The battle continues as multiple teams fight to get into the break. Euskadi, Ineos, CCC, Caja Rural, Katusha, Ag2R-La Mondiale have all been active, but to little effect so far.

De Gendt's dig comes to nothing. Meanwhile, Vasil Kiryienka of Team Ineos has a puncture. Practically the only thing he's done in the entire race. Would it be remiss to suggest that this could well be the Belarusian's last Grand Tour? I'm not sure if he's retiring, but he doesn't have a contract at Ineos yet next season, or elsewhere, and he's not the force of old.

And now it's time for Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) to have a pop. The Belgian, who is riding his third Grand Tour of the year, has had a subdued race so far, unable to make as big an impact as he may have hoped.

A nice snap from the start here...

Hector Saez (Euskadi-Murias) joins Bevin. But their brief foray off the front soon comes to an end.

Runner-up in the time trial to Pau a couple of days ago, the Australian Patrick Bevin (CCC Team) has zipped clear of the peloton. The CCC Team are trying to salvage something from the race following the withdrawal in the first week of their GC man Victor de la Parte, who came down in that big crash that took out Rigoberto Uran, Nico Roche, Hugh Carthy and others.

Numerous attacks in the opening moments of this stage but a move has yet to stick. A reminder that Angel Madrazo extended his lead in both the KoM standings and breakaway classification yesterday, even though he was the first rider to be dropped form the 14-man break. The Burgos-BH man now leads Geoffrey Bouchard by 11pts in the polka dot standings and has notched a total of 552km out ahead of the race - his nearest opponent being Jonathan Lastra, who was runner-up yesterday and has not ridden 380km in breaks.

It's blustery today with a crosswind coming in from the left at a speed of 20kmh. That could prove problematic on some of the early exposed roads up on this plateau.

They're off! The 166 riders of the peloton get today's breakaway-friendly stage under way...

The neutral start today was at the Navarra motor-racing circuit...

Here's what's on the menu today in today's tasty Basque offering.

Such was the advantage of the break, the peloton was 10km away and still in another country when Iturria punched the air to celebrate a famous victory - which comes after earlier wins for fellow wildcard teams Cofidis and Burgos-BH. The peloton was eventually led home by the Jumbo-Visma team of red jersey Primoz Roglic some 18’35” in arrears, the Slovenian easily retaining his 1’52” lead over Spanish veteran Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) in the general classification.

Yesterday, local Basque rider Mikel Iturria soloed to an emotional maiden professional win to defy an indecisive chase group in a nail-biting conclusion to Stage 11 after a daring attack from the breakaway 25 kilometres from the finish. Distanced by his fellow escapees on the third and final categorised climb of the 180km stage from Saint-Palais in France, 27-year-old Iturria of the Basque wildcard Euskadi-Murias team roared back into contention on the lumpy approach to Urdax-Dantxarinea.