Results Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 9 - Enric Mas lands statement summit win as Oscar Onley beats Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall loses time in post-Pogacar thriller

Enric Mas delivered an emphatic first defence of the red jersey by winning Stage 9 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana atop the Alto de Aitana, dropping Primoz Roglic before outsprinting Oscar Onley.

Mas attacked with approximately three kilometres remaining after Decathlon CMA CGM Team had spent much of the final climb dismantling the peloton for Felix Gall. Onley was the only rider able to remain with the Spaniard when he accelerated again inside the final two kilometres.

The Netcompany INEOS leader finished six seconds behind Mas, with Roglic recovering sufficiently to take third at 12 seconds. Gall crossed fourth at 18 seconds after his team’s sustained work failed to produce the hoped-for attack on the red jersey.

Victory increased Mas’s overall advantage before the first rest day and established the first post-Tadej Pogacar hierarchy at the Vuelta. Onley strengthened his position among the leading contenders, while Gall and Roglic both conceded further ground to the new race leader.

The hardest climbing stage of the race so far contained six categorised ascents and approximately 5,200 metres of elevation across 187.4 kilometres from Villajoyosa. Repeated attacks on the rising opening roads eventually produced a 24-rider breakaway featuring Pavel Sivakov, Santiago Buitrago, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Filippo Zana, Ramses Debruyne, Alexey Lutsenko and Bruno Armirail.

Buitrago concentrated on the mountains classification. The Colombian collected 10 points on the brutally steep El Miserat before adding maximum points on the Puerto de Tollos and Puerto de Tudons, securing the polka-dot jersey through the rest day.

Movistar initially controlled the escape but allowed its advantage to expand beyond six minutes. No rider at the front posed an immediate threat to Mas, leaving the break increasingly confident that it would decide the stage.

Alessandro Romele disrupted that cooperation with an attack on his 23rd birthday. The Italian descended away from the break before being joined by Spanish champion Marcel Camprubi and Sivakov ahead of the Alto de Aitana.

Romele was dropped on the opening kilometre of the final climb, leaving Sivakov and Camprubi with 4:45 over the peloton and more than one minute over the remaining escapees.

Decathlon had missed the 24-rider move but retained five teammates around Gall as the race reached Aitana. Jordan Labrosse, Sander De Pestel and Gregor Muhlberger drove a sustained pace that rapidly reduced both the peloton and the leaders’ advantage.

Sivakov dropped Camprubi with 10 kilometres remaining, but his advantage had already fallen below three minutes. Behind him, the GC group was reduced to approximately 15 riders as Gall prepared to attack.

Muhlberger completed his final effort with seven kilometres remaining before releasing Gall. Mas, Roglic, Onley and Richard Carapaz responded, while Sepp Kuss was immediately distanced.

Gall’s acceleration also ended any remaining chance of the break surviving. Sivakov was joined by Buitrago near the front, but Carapaz attacked from the favourite group and quickly closed upon the final escapees.

Onley responded to Carapaz with just under five kilometres remaining, bringing Mas and the other leading contenders back towards the front. Gall attacked again one kilometre later, but Mas closed the move without appearing under serious pressure.

The repeated accelerations allowed several riders to return whenever the pace stalled. Mattias Skjelmose immediately counterattacked after regaining contact, but Mas then produced the move that finally decided the stage.

The red jersey accelerated past the remaining riders with approximately three kilometres to climb. Onley followed directly, while Roglic bridged across shortly afterwards and Gall began losing contact behind.

Mas continued setting the pace rather than waiting for the sprint. His next acceleration inside two kilometres dropped Roglic, leaving Onley as the only challenger still attached to the red jersey.

Onley remained on Mas’s wheel into the finishing straight but could not come around when the Spaniard launched his sprint. Mas crossed the line six seconds clear, with Roglic at 12 seconds and Gall another six seconds further behind.

The first Vuelta stage completed after Pogacar’s withdrawal therefore belonged to his successor in red, with Mas reaching the rest day as both stage winner and an increasingly established leader of the general classification.