Victory ever closer: Mas extends his lead

Spaniard Enric Mas extended his lead in the overall standings at the next Vuelta climbing stage. The 31-year-old finished sixth on the mountain-top finish at Calar Alto, at 2.140 meters, distancing his rivals with an attack 11 kilometers from the finish.

September 03, 2026

From: dpa/sn

The stage win went to 20-year-old Slovenian Jakob Omrzel, who simultaneously improved to sixth place in the overall standings. The compatriot of superstar Tadej Pogacar, who had to abandon the tour after a crash, was part of a large breakaway group and dropped his last companion, Urko Berrade, on the final climb. For the 20-year-old, it is the biggest success of his still young career.

Mas now wears the red jersey with a lead of 1:45 minutes over Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who could still gain time on him in next week's individual time trial. Felix Gall from East Tyrol is third, 2:06 minutes behind.

First Gall, then Mas attacks

The 166,6-kilometer route from Vera to Calar Alto featured two Category 1 climbs and nearly 4.600 meters of elevation gain. Numerous attacks launched from the start, resulting in a strong breakaway group that at times included 30 professional riders.
Mas's team worked hard in the peloton, but had to allow their lead to grow to more than seven and a half minutes. On the penultimate climb, the leading group gradually broke apart. German rider Lennard Kämna also had to drop back.

Winner of the day: Jakob Omrzel. © APA/afp / JOSE JORDAN

In the group of favorites, Gall's team increased the pace until the Austrian attacked. Mas and Roglic were able to follow, but then the Spaniard launched his own attack.

A breakaway victory is likely on Friday. The 192,8-kilometer stage between Almuñécar and Loja features more than 3.000 meters of climbing, but the last major ascent comes almost 40 kilometers from the finish. The tour concludes on September 13 in Granada.

Keywords cycling Return Enric Mas Nicolau