Pieter Weening, out front on a break away during Stage 6 of the Vuelta a España

Pieter Weening of Orica-GreenEdge settled into the middle of the pack during Stage 20 and finished the 2012 Vuelta a España as the Point d’Appui, taking home the maillot gris. He came home 2 hours, 27 minutes and 56 seconds behind the race winner, Alberto Contador, and finished 2 hours, 4 minutes and 39 seconds ahead of Cheng Ji, who held on to become China’s first Lanterne Rouge in a grand tour.

Johan Van Summeren, the Belgian riding for Garmin-Sharp, had the time closest to the median.

On the stage, Ben Gastauer of AG2R La Mondiale came home at the fulcrum position.

The Point d’Appui changed hands nine times, and 10 stages ended without a fulcrum. Of note, Philippe Gilbert, who held the Point d’Appui early in the race, won Stages 9 and 19, thus obviating much chance that he would finish in the middle. For the record, Gilbert finished 59th in general classification. Grischa Niermann, who is retiring after 13 years of racing, held the Point d’Appui after Stage 15. And no race would be complete without a mention of Markel Irizar, winner of the Point d’Appui in the 2011 Tour de France and who briefly held the Vuelta’s middle spot after Stage 18.

Through the stages:

• Stage 1 – No fulcrum
• Stage 2 – Rémi Pauriol
• Stage 3 – Philippe Gilbert
• Stage 4 – No fulcrum
• Stage 5 – No fulcrum
• Stage 6 – No fulcrum
• Stage 7 – No fulcrum
• Stage 8 – No fulcrum
• Stage 9 – No fulcrum
• Stage 10 – Gregory Rast
• Stage 11 – Arnaud Courteille
• Stage 12 – No fulcrum
• Stage 13 – No fulcrum
• Stage 14 – Martijn Keizer
• Stage 15 – Grischa Niermann
• Stage 16 – Johannes Fröhlinger
• Stage 17 – No fulcrum
• Stage 18 – Markel Irizar
• Stage 19 – Johannes Fröhlinger
• Stage 20 – Pieter Weening
• Stage 21 – Pieter Weening