Enric Mas consolidates his Vuelta lead before the final finish in Granada

Spain at the party. On the eve of the final arrival in Granada, Enric Mas (Movistar), solid leader since the abandonment of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates XRG), took a big step towards the final victory in the Vuelta, Saturday September 12, during the 20th stage. Attacked from all sides, notably by Richard Carapaz (EF Education), the Spaniard never wavered, and even further widened his lead over his runner-up Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe).

The Slovenian will finish second in the Tour of Spain and accompany Enric Mas on the final podium on Sunday alongside Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA-CGM). The Austrian made up some time, but not enough to beat him overall, in the final of the terrible Collado del Aguacil (8 kilometers at 9.8% average), never climbed by a professional race.

One last big mountain piece which allowed another old Spanish sea dog to raise his arms: Mikel Landa (Soudal-Quick-Step). The 36-year-old Basque, who had not won for five years, left his last breakaway companions on the last climb to win, alone, at the top of the Collado del Aguacil during the queen stage of this edition.

Felix Gall tried everything against Primoz Roglic

Eleven years after his first stage victory in the Vuelta, Mikel Landa scored a second success at home. He is 47 seconds ahead of Tobias Johannessen (Uno X-Mobility), and one minute and twenty-seven seconds ahead of Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech). Enough to find a smile again for the one who will join the Euskatel-Euskadi team next season and who, this year again, was pursued by bad luck by being knocked down by... a car from the organization during the Tour of the Basque Country in April. Victim of a fractured pelvis, he had to give up the Giro and the Tour de France.

At the origin of today's breakaway, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a bike) secured the green jersey on the eve of the finish in Granada, a first in his career on the Vuelta. Among the favorites, who were more than eight minutes behind the final climb, Enric Mas conceded a few seconds to Felix Gall who went on the attack in the last kilometers to try, in vain, to take second place from Primoz Roglic. But Mas no longer has to worry, now 2''15 ahead of Roglic and 2''44 over Gall, before the final 112 km stage in Granada.