Calar Alto puts Enric Mas, Roglič and Gall to the test in La Vuelta 2026 stage 12

Stage 12 of La Vuelta a España 2026 brings the general favorites back to the high mountains with one of the most demanding days of this edition. More than 4,500 meters of elevation gain between Vera and Calar Alto, five categorized climbs, and a final sequence with Velefique and the finish at over 2,100 meters altitude will test Enric Mas's leadership.

Stage 12 of La Vuelta a España 2026: route, profile, and key points

• Start: Vera
• Finish: Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory
• Distance: 166.6 km
• Positive elevation gain: 4,568 m
• Start time: 13:07 h
• Expected finish: 17:17-17:45 h
• Cabecico Pass: 8.3 km at 3.3% – 3rd category
• Cóbdar Pass: 4.9 km at 4.5% – 3rd category
• García Pass: 18.5 km at 2.4% – 2nd category
• Velefique Pass: 13.1 km at 7.2% – 1st category
• Calar Alto: 16.9 km at 5.6% – 1st category and finish at altitude

A high mountain day with Velefique before Calar Alto

The difficulty will start early with the Cabecico Pass and the Cóbdar Pass, although it will mainly be terrain to form the breakaway. After that, the long García Pass will come, 18.5 kilometers at 2.4%, which will continue to accumulate fatigue before the decisive part.

The real start of the stage will be at Velefique. After passing through the intermediate sprint, the riders will face 13.1 kilometers at 7.2%, with double-digit gradients at the beginning and a climb tough enough to significantly select the group of favorites. Its summit will be just over 31 kilometers from the finish.

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After the descent, the climb to the Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory will come directly, with 16.9 kilometers at 5.6%. The average is misleading because it alternates sections over 10% with small descents and much gentler stretches. About three kilometers from the finish, one of the hardest sections appears, around 9.5%.

The altitude will add another important factor: the finish will be located above 2,100 meters. Calar Alto was already a finish in La Vuelta in 2017, when Miguel Ángel López triumphed ahead of Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali, and Wilco Kelderman.

Favorites to win stage 12 of La Vuelta a España 2026

Enric Mas is again the reference after his victory at the Alto de Aitana. The Movistar leader is 1:18 ahead of Primož Roglič and 1:39 ahead of Felix Gall, but this time he will have to manage a much more demanding day with a team that may struggle to control from afar.

Primož Roglič remains his main rival due to experience and position in the general classification, although he has not shown the explosiveness of previous editions so far. Felix Gall, on the other hand, has been one of the most offensive favorites, and Decathlon CMA CGM has tried to toughen several stages, so Velefique seems like perfect terrain to try again.

Oscar Onley also deserves to be among the main candidates after finishing second in Aitana. Richard Carapaz, Mattias Skjelmose, Sepp Kuss, and Jarno Widar appear in a second group of contenders.

But the victory does not have to come from the favorites. Movistar may be interested in allowing a breakaway of riders far from the general classification and reserving strength to defend the red jersey. Santiago Buitrago, in addition to seeking points for the mountains, fits perfectly into that scenario, just like Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Valentin Paret-Peintre, or Lorenzo Fortunato.

Velefique should reveal who really wants to attack Mas and Calar Alto will be responsible for measuring the strength among the main candidates to win this Vuelta.