Vuelta's day of reckoning arrives - Can Roglic claw back Mas? INEOS' Vuelta reaches a crossroads and Visma's relentless pursuit
CyclingThursday, 10 September 2026 at 11:14
The time for talking at the Vuelta a Espana is over. With just four stages remaining, a blockbuster finale kicks off with stage 18's time trial on Thursday. There's no rest for the bunch soon after as a double-helping of mountain stages comes before a final punchy battle to finish the race.
With the red jersey battle finely poised heading into its final days, Enric Mas boasts a lead of 2:06 and 2:10 respectively on Felix Gall and Primoz Roglic, with the time trial certain to shake up those gaps.
INEOS have endured a mixed race by their standards as Oscar Onley fights for a top five and the white jersey. However, with no other general classification card to play and no in-form threat for the coming stages, their race hangs in the balance as Onley's white jersey is threatened bya vaguely familiar foe.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Visma come with virtually nothing to lose and more to gain their relentless surge of stage wins at the Vuelta. With seven already, they're plotting a different route to victory in these coming days. We've taken a look at some of the big talking points ahead of the Vuelta time trial on Thursday.
Primoz Roglic, Enric Mas and Felix Gall at the 2026 Vuelta a España
Can Roglic claw back red jersey Mas?
It's the day Movistar have circled not long after Mas reluctantly rode into the red jersey. Although the Spanish rider has looked at home at the front of the race and even put time into Roglic and Gall over the past ten days, he knows he likely won't on stage 18.
The time trial has traditionally always been synonymous with Roglic and a vital tool in his arsenal that has saw him reach precipice of Vuelta immortality. But if the Slovenian wants a history-making fifth crown this weekend, he needs an almighty performance against the clock.
Our analysis has shown that he needs to take around four seconds per kilometer of the 32 kilometer test. In recent time trials head-to-head excluding the short prologue on stage one, Roglic has taken at least 2.5 and in some cases over 3 seconds per kilometer on Mas.
Roglic's 2023 Giro time trial performance springs to mind in the Slovenian's ability to dig deep when it matters, but study of the time gaps between them suggest Roglic could at least half Mas's lead. However, can Mas rise to the occasion and find some power in the red jersey defence?
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INEOS Vuelta reaches a crossroads
Netcompany INEOS have endured a rollercoaster season after a particularly disappointing Tour de France. However, the wheels haven't stopped turning as they find themselves in a general classification battle - even if the red jersey isn't at stake currently.
The white jersey is worth fighting for for Geraint Thomas's outfit. Oscar Onley sits in fifth place and in white, but sixth overall and also in the white jersey battle lies Jakob Omrzel. A 20-year-old Slovenian in the Vuelta who took a mountain stage win, certainly a reminder to a Tadej Pogacar-shaped memory carved into the back of many in cycling's minds.
Onley has admitted to suffering ups and downs over the first two weeks, but boasts just 30 seconds of an advantage on the Bahrain-Victorious youngster in his bid to hold onto the white jersey.
Should INEOS lose the jersey, they drop out of the top five and continue the race without a stage win or leader's jersey to show for their Grand Tour so far.
Matthew Brennan at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
Visma chase more glory
Seven stage wins isn't enough for Visma | Lease a Bike. With Matthew Brennan's five and Wout van Aert's two, it's their most successful Grand Tour in terms of top spots on the podium. Without Jonas Vingegaard, their eye has been almost solely on stage wins and they've gotten their reward.
But they'll be back for more and have a few cards to play, beginning at the time trial. Wout van Aert is among the favourites, and after not contesting the sprint on Wednesday, could be saving his legs for Thursday's test. Meanwhile, powerhouse Bruno Armirail is sure to stretch the legs in the race against the clock.
Then come the mountains - Sepp Kuss's playground. The American is 10th at 8:55 from the red jersey, giving him plenty of freedom to potentially go up the road on stages 19 and 20 to try and take a stage win. He said after stage 17 that an attack was on the cards, expect to see the former Vuelta winner have a dig.
If all else fails, Brennan and Van Aert could have one last hurrah on the streets of Granada. If a red jersey battle remains by the final day there may not be much of an opportunity, but if things are all but wrapped up, the terrain could lend itself to another show of strength in a punchy parcours.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- "All in all I think that most World Tour cyclists are paid fairly." ??? Reading a foolish and stupid statement like that makes me think: Stop watching cycling and start watching dart throwing or American wrestling. You don't even deserve an answer because of your foolishness and probably won't understand it. But I'll give it a try: Everything centers around the fact that the owners of the Grand Tours and Monuments like ASO - Amaury Sport Organisation, and others, are not interested in sharing their big television and sponsorship profits. BIG PROFITS!!! Why? Because they are f**** greedy, wanting more money constantly. They prioritize personal financial gain over ethics, fairness, or the well-being of cyclists... the same cyclists that make money for them.... Do you understand this? If not, go find yourself a corner!!!PogiSloFans10-09-2026
- With cycling being a "free to watch sport", how do you propose to raise the income to pay the cyclists more? The owners of the grand tours and monuments are not interested in sharing profits and with the sport refusing to make alterations to the Euro Centric calendar, the opportunity to increase income for the teams is extremely limited. All in all I think that most World Tour cyclists are paid fairly.whit2pet10-09-2026
- Hey Jumpyjohn... let your words become gold!!!PogiSloFans10-09-2026
- Pogi, being the G.O.A.T. ... should be getting, at least, 20 million euros per year.... Remco 10 million... Jonas 8.5 million ... etc. etc. All cyclists are being payed shit, compared to other sports. Competitive road cycling is undeniably one of the most brutal and physically demanding sports in the world... when evaluating pure endurance, suffering, and environmental risks such as crashes, heat, cold, rain, sleet, road furniture.PogiSloFans10-09-2026
- Yes, I’m tipping on around 1 minute lost in the TT but it’s best to remember anyone can have an off day or an incident and lose minutes if it’s at the wrong moment.Jumpyjohn10-09-2026
- Research is not a strength of this website or most of the visitors, thanks for that. They probably noticed as it is better said for another article which at least seems to indicate they don’t go round correcting articles posthumously without stating a correction was made which creates the age old problem of smartass posters accusing earlier posters of not being able to read.Jumpyjohn10-09-2026
- This article really should mention that Flandria won 14 Vuelta stages in 1977 with Maertens winning 13 and Polentier one. It should have been clearer that it was just a Visma team record and not an overall record.bwade91309-09-2026
- Seems like the next days Moutantop finish could help Mas gain back some of his anticipated loss tomorrow?Crashjames09-09-2026
- Looking at form for Mas and Roglic, I don't think he will put more than 1min45sec into Mas and I'll be surprised if it is more than 1min30sec. If this holds true then Mas should have his first ever Vuelta win after working at it for almost a decade. I hope he is able to do it but I'll be happy whoever wins as long as they are the strongest.awp09-09-2026
- Probably not but he’s certainly in better shape now than on day 1, not far from keeping up all the time. Had one bad day. If Mas has one, it could go down to the line.Jumpyjohn09-09-2026
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