Enric Mas approaches victory in the Vuelta a España after controlling the attacks in the queen stage

All the glory to Enric Mas. The Balearic cyclist (31 years old), barring misfortune, will be crowned this Sunday as the winner of the Vuelta a España, a round that he has dominated with authority since Tadej Pogacar abandoned in the eighth stage. This Saturday, the Spaniard from the Movistar team controlled the attacks of his opponents in the queen stage of the test: 187 kilometers, starting in La Calahorra and ending in Collado del Alguacil, which included five climbs, the last with 22% ramps. In that climb, Mikel Landa (Soudal) stood out, abandoning his breakaway companions, the Norwegian Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) and the Belgian Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin), to win the stage.

This is the second partial victory for Mikel Landa (36 years old) in the Vuelta, the previous one was won in the 2015 edition, in a day that started in Andorra and closed in Encamp.

For 12 years, no Spaniard had won the Vuelta, the last being Alberto Contador, in 2014. Enric Mas closes a successful cycle in the Vuelta, a test in which he has occupied the podium four times: second in 2018, 2012 and 2022 and third in 2024.