Mikel Landa wins the queen stage of La Vuelta 2026: Enric Mas seals the race

Mikel Landa has won stage 20 of the Vuelta a España 2026 at the Collado del Alguacil, ending a long wait to raise his arms in a grand tour again. Behind him, Enric Mas has passed the last major mountain test and will arrive in Granada this Sunday as the leader, with 2:15 over Primož Roglič. Unless something unfortunate happens, the Mallorcan will be the first Spaniard to win the Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2014.

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The last major mountain stage started with a battle from the first kilometers. Wout van Aert was one of the first to move and ended up being part of a breakaway of 14 riders in which Uno-X placed up to six men. The first hour was contested at 49.2 km/h.

The race changed completely with the first ascent to the Puerto de El Purche. The peloton had given more than ten minutes to the breakaway, but among the favorites, movements began more than 90 kilometers from the finish.

Richard Carapaz attacked and Sepp Kuss also went on the offensive, while Mas, Roglič, and Gall ended up reacting. Kuss would insist later, and his move would allow him to climb to fifth place in the general classification.

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Up front, Mikel Landa managed to reach the breakaway during the second passage of El Purche. The Alavés joined a group that still included Van Aert, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Andreas Leknessund, Pau Miquel, and several other riders.

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The definitive selection came at the Puerto de El Duque. Landa, Johannessen, and Ramses Debruyne moved ahead and faced the approach to the Collado del Alguacil together.

The three started the final climb together, but Landa proved to be the strongest. Seven kilometers from the summit, he left his breakaway companions behind and began his solo journey to victory.

The Basque was never caught again and crossed the finish line with 47 seconds over Tobias Johannessen and 1:27 over Ramses Debruyne. It was a particularly significant victory for Landa, who had not won a stage in a grand tour since 2017 and whose previous victory in the Vuelta dated back to 2015.

Enric Mas seals the Vuelta 2026

The other race was several minutes behind. Movistar had managed to keep the situation under control despite the numerous moves from Carapaz and Kuss's long-range offensive. At the Collado del Alguacil, Red Bull-BORA initially took responsibility, but Roglič never launched the attack he needed to recover his 1:37 over Mas.

It was Felix Gall who ended up breaking the group. The Austrian accelerated in the final part, and Mas was the only one able to initially follow his wheel. Roglič, on the other hand, began to lose ground.

Gall ended up leaving Mas behind as well, although by then the leadership was no longer in danger. The Austrian finished 6:38 behind Landa, Mas at 6:55, and Roglič at 7:32.

The result even extends the Spaniard's lead over his main rival. Enric Mas will arrive in Granada with 2:15 over Roglič and 2:44 over Gall.

With the last stage left, traditionally reserved for celebrating the winner and the final battle among the sprinters, Mas virtually has the Vuelta a España 2026 won.

Spanish cycling is thus about to end a wait of 12 years without winning La Vuelta, since Alberto Contador's victory in 2014.

Sepp Kuss stars in the great comeback of the general classification

In addition to Landa's victory and Mas's sealing, the day left another significant movement in the standings. Sepp Kuss attacked on the second ascent to El Purche, more than 65 kilometers from the finish, and continued gaining ground throughout the rest of the stage. Visma used advanced riders to help him, and Wout van Aert even waited for him before the final climb.

Kuss finished eighth in the stage, 4:35 behind Landa, and his offensive allows him to jump from eleventh to fifth place in the general classification. Oscar Onley falls to sixth place, although he retains the white jersey.

Top 10 of stage 20 of the Vuelta a España 2026

1. Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) — 4:58:01
2. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) — +0:47
3. Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) — +1:27
4. Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious) — +3:00
5. Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) — +4:12
6. Jan Hirt (NSN Cycling Team) — +4:18
7. Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma | Lease a Bike) — +4:35
8. Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) — +4:35
9. Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5) — +4:48
10. Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) — +4:53

Top 10 of the general classification after stage 20 of the Vuelta a España

1. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) — 70:56:58
2. Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) — +2:15
3. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) — +2:44
4. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) — +6:54
5. Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) — +8:45
6. Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) — +9:28
7. Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) — +10:38
8. Clément Berthet (Groupama-FDJ United) — +11:41
9. Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana Team) — +11:59
10. Harold Tejada (XDS Astana Team)  +14:40