As he led a Grand Tour for the first time in his career on the day after Tadej Pogacar abandoned, Enric Mas (Movistar) stamped his authority on La Vuelta 26 with a spectacular stage win on the Alto de Aitana. The battle was brutal from the start of this grueling mountain showdown, with over 5,000 metres of elevation gain from La Vila Joiosa. First, Movistar controlled the bunch behind a large breakaway. Then, Mas responded to repeated attacks from his rivals, starting with Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM). Eventually, he dropped everyone but Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos), who resisted the Spaniard’s attack but could not pass him at the summit. Mas takes his second La Vuelta stage win, eight years after his first. He is the first Spanish overall leader of the race since 2018. And now he became the first Spaniard to win a La Vuelta stage with La Roja on his back since Alberto Contador at Ancares (stage 20) in 2014.
On the day after Tadej Pogacar abandoned and on the eve of the first race day, the peloton face a most demanding stage with over 5,000 metres of elevation to leave the seaside and head to summit finish at Alto de Aitana (187.4 km). The race starts from the seaside, in La Vila Joiosa, next to Benidorm. Many riders know the area, may it be from the races held around here or thanks to the training camps teams are used to organising in the winter.
A fierce battle from the start
The course inspires attackers. Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates XRG), Alexey Lutsenko (NSN), Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility), Alastair Mackellar (EF Education-EasyPost), Fabian Weiss (Tudor) and Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana) open a gap of 20 seconds after 9 kilometres. The relentless battle continues on the first climb of the day, Puerto de Tarbena (cat. 2, km 36.7) with a flurry of counter-attacks. The pace is too hard for Weiss, who is dropped from the front group and reeled in by the peloton.
Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Urko Berrade (Kern Pharma) force an opening ahead of the summit. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) and Stefan Küng (Tudor) accelerate over the top. Many other attackers get in the mix. There are 15 riders in the breakaway to tackle the second ascent of the day, the Puerto de El Miserat (cat. 1, km 73.9). Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) leads the way to the summit to take the lead of the mountains standings (21 KOM points against 19 for Leknessund).
A birthday boy on the front
More chasers join the front group in several waves. The breakaway is eventually consolidated at km 104 with 24 leaders. At that point, the Movistar-led peloton trail by 4’55’’.
Buitrago takes the KOM points atop the Puerto de Tudons (cat. 2, km 121.8). Alessandro Romele attacks on the following descent? The Italian is alone at the front to take full points at the intermediate sprint (km 134.6) and at the Puerto de Benifallim (cat. 2, 139.9). The Italian youngster - he turns 23 years old today - is joined at the front by Pavel Sivakov and Camprubi as they enter the final 40 kilometres.
In the peloton, Felix Gall’s Decathlon CMA CGM take over the pace-setting as the gap increases to 6 minutes.
Mas shines
At the bottom of the final climb (22 km at 5.8%), the lead trio are a minute and a half ahead of their chasers, and five minutes ahead of the peloton. Romele is rapidly dropped. And Sivakov goes solo 10 kilometres from the summit.
Behind them, Decathlon CMA CGM set a brutal pace. Gall eventually attacks with 8 km remaining, but he doesn’t manage to make differences. A small group get back to Sivakov 4.5 km from the summit, with Buitrago, Gall, as well as Enric Mas (Movistar), Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos), and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost).
Tactics came into play, with several riders trying their hand. The acceleration from Mas into the final three kilometres proved decisive, as only Oscar Onley could follow the Spaniard. Mas pushes the pace all the way to the summit, where he becomes the first Spaniard to win a La Vuelta stage with La Roja on his back since Alberto Contador at Ancares in 2014 (stage 20). In the overall standings, he is now 1’18’’ ahead of Roglic. Gall trails by 1’39’’ and Onley moves up to the 4th position (+2’20’’).
