“Apart from a weak attack by Primoz Roglic...” - Experts question muted Vuelta GC battle before decisive queen stage
CyclingSaturday, 12 September 2026 at 15:30
Primoz Roglic has been challenged to back up his promise to risk everything for Vuelta a Espana victory after his subdued attack failed to trouble Enric Mas on Stage 19.
The Slovenian finally accelerated inside the final two kilometres of the climb to Penas Blancas, but Mas quickly closed the gap and crossed the line alongside his principal rivals. The leading contenders otherwise reached the finish without meaningful separation, leaving the red jersey with the same 1:37 advantage over Roglic before Saturday’s decisive queen stage.
Roglic attack fails to trouble Mas
While Eddie Dunbar overhauled Santiago Buitrago to claim a dramatic victory from the breakaway, the anticipated fight between the overall contenders never fully materialised.
Richard Carapaz had attempted to put Movistar Team under pressure with an ambitious move more than 100 kilometres from the finish, but the Ecuadorian was eventually brought back. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Decathlon CMA CGM Team then helped set the pace on Penas Blancas without creating any significant gaps between Mas, Roglic, Felix Gall and the other leading contenders.
Roglic’s late acceleration provided the only direct test for the red jersey. It was not strong enough to dislodge Mas, who immediately followed before the favourites came back together.
Analysing the stage on Sporza, Jose De Cauwer was left questioning why the general classification battle had been so restrained with only one major mountain stage remaining. “How can it all be so well controlled?” he asked. “Apart from a weak attack by Primoz Roglic, it was never full gas.”
De Cauwer accepted the possibility that Roglic and his rivals had been conserving energy for the far more demanding Stage 20, although he also raised the prospect that there may simply be no one capable of putting Mas under sustained pressure. “We’ll have to assume they are saving it for tomorrow, but it could also turn out that there is nothing then either.”
Final mountain test for Mas and Roglic
Mas has increasingly appeared in control since taking the red jersey, repeatedly answering his rivals in the mountains before limiting his losses to Roglic to only 33 seconds in the Stage 18 individual time trial.
Karl Vannieuwkerke highlighted how comfortable the Movistar Team leader continued to look, with De Cauwer agreeing that the terrain awaiting the riders on Saturday should suit Mas. Stage 20 covers 186.8 kilometres and almost 5,000 metres of climbing, including two ascents of El Purche, the Puerto de El Duque and the unprecedented summit finish at Collado del Alguacil.
“The bogeyman of that time trial is already behind him,” De Cauwer said of Mas. “Tomorrow’s steep climbs are more likely to work in his favour than against him. We have already seen him riding with great ease in that small gear during this Vuelta. He clearly holds the strongest hand.”
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The pressure consequently rests with Roglic. The four-time Vuelta winner has previously insisted that he is interested only in taking the red jersey and that there would be little difference to him between finishing second and dropping further down the standings.
“There can no longer be any talk of still having an opportunity here or there,” De Cauwer argued. “If Roglic says he doesn’t care whether he finishes second or fifth, we’ll see that tomorrow. Then we can still expect one or two things.”
Roglic begins the queen stage 1:37 behind Mas, while Gall is third at 3:01 and Carapaz remains within range of the podium at 5:17. The final climb to Collado del Alguacil averages 9.8 per cent across 8.3 kilometres and provides Roglic with his final major opportunity to prevent Mas from reaching Granada on the verge of his first Grand Tour victory.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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