“I was just counting the kilometres” - Three-time runner-up Enric Mas moves to brink of first Grand Tour victory at La Vuelta 2026
Cycling
Enric Mas entered the closing kilometres of the Vuelta a Espana queen stage with Felix Gall attacking a few bike lengths ahead and Primoz Roglic losing contact behind. By the time the red jersey reached the summit of the Collado del Alguacil, his advantage over Roglic had grown to 2:15 and his first Grand Tour victory was one flat stage away.
Mas first reached the Vuelta podium as a 23-year-old in 2018, finishing second behind Simon Yates and establishing himself as Spain’s next Grand Tour contender. Seven subsequent seasons brought repeated high finishes at his home race without the overall victory he was chasing.
He returned to finish second behind Roglic in 2021 and Remco Evenepoel in 2022 before taking third behind Roglic and Ben O’Connor in 2024. Across six Vuelta appearances between 2018 and 2024, Mas never finished lower than sixth. Three of those campaigns ended on the second step of the podium.
“To be honest, I was just counting the kilometres,” Mas admitted after the finish. “My feeling was super.”
Now 31, Mas is closer than ever to occupying the position that has eluded him throughout his career. “It’s the first time in my life I feel like this,” he said. “I’m happy.”
Mas passes the final mountain test
The first complication arrived before the queen stage reached its opening classified climb. Crosswinds split the peloton during the rapid opening phase and briefly caught Mas in the second group, forcing several Movistar riders to drop back and close the gap.
With their leader returned to the front, Movistar sent Ivan Romeo and Raul Garcia Pierna into the enormous counter-attacking group behind the early breakaway. Both were subsequently available to help Mas after the repeated climbs reduced the group of favourites.
Decathlon CMA CGM Team isolated Mas with its pace on the first ascent of the Puerto de El Purche. Carapaz then attacked over the summit and linked up with Sepp Kuss, prompting Gall to lead the chase until Mas, Roglic and the Austrian reached them.
Carapaz continued attacking across the second ascent of El Purche and the Puerto de El Duque. Gall, Mas and Roglic repeatedly followed, while the pauses between those accelerations allowed riders from the earlier groups to return.
Romeo was back alongside Mas before the Collado del Alguacil and paced the red jersey onto the final climb. Pablo Castrillo later took over as another source of support from up the road. “The team did a super good job again,” Mas said. “I won because the team did everything for them. Thank you.”
Roglic loses ground as Gall attacks
Roglic had begun the stage 1:37 behind and needed to overturn Mas on the final mountain day. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe placed riders throughout the race, but its leader did not launch an attack against the red jersey.
Gall finally broke the stalemate with approximately 1.2 kilometres remaining. Mas immediately accelerated across to him, while Roglic stayed seated and began losing ground alongside Carapaz.
The Austrian subsequently moved several bike lengths ahead of Mas and gained 17 seconds on the race leader. Roglic conceded considerably more, losing another 38 seconds to Mas and seeing Gall close to within 29 seconds of his second place.
Mas has carried the red jersey since stage 8 and strengthened his position by winning on the Alto de Aitana the following afternoon. He then protected his lead through the Jerez individual time trial before answering every serious challenge on the final mountain stage.
The 2026 Vuelta concludes on Sunday with 112 predominantly flat kilometres around Granada. Mas will begin the day 2:15 ahead of Roglic and 2:44 ahead of Gall, with the top step of his home Grand Tour waiting at the finish.
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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