Mas survives final test to all but secure Vuelta victory

Sept 12 - Enric Mas all but secured overall victory in the Vuelta a Espana when he survived a brutal penultimate stage on the sun-baked slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Movistar rider spent most of the 186-km stage in a group containing Primoz Roglic, Felix Gall and Richard Carapaz -- the only men who could deny him the red jersey -- and simply refused to crack over 5,000m of climbing.

Looking perfectly in control up the steep and winding final 9-km climb to Collado del Alguacil, Mallorcan rider Mas comfortably protected the one minute 37 seconds advantage he held over Slovenian Roglic after 19 stages and even stretched his lead at the climax.

Gall did pull clear to finish 17 seconds ahead of Mas to secure an overall podium finish, but it mattered not.

With only Sunday's ceremonial stage around the city of Granada to come, barring a calamity Mas will become the first Spanish rider to win the Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2014.

RIDERS TACKLE FOUR BIG CLIMBS

Veteran Mikel Landa (Soudal–Quick-Step) made it a perfect day for Spain as he powered away up the Collado del Alguacil to take the stage by 47 seconds, his first victory since 2021.

Norway's Tobias Johannessen was second on the stage.

The big mover in the general classification was American Sepp Kuss who finished eighth on the stage to move to fifth overall. At one point, with a five-minute lead over the GC group, he even looked as though he could snatch a podium spot.

Mas inherited the red jersey when overwhelming race favourite Tadej Pogacar crashed out on stage eight.

Since then he has barely put a pedal stroke out of place to finally shake off the tag of one of the best Spanish riders never to have won a Grand Tour, something he shares with Landa.

There was still the 186-km stage 20 to survive though.

A relentless day in the mountains featured four big climbs, including twice up the Puerto de El Purche, before the finale on the brutish Collado del Alguacil, a 17-km climb with the last 8.3km averaging a leg-stinging 9.8%.

Former Olympic champion Carapaz attacked throughout the day with his usual panache and Gall looked a threat to Mas. But the Spaniard was never flustered and when he dropped four-time Vuelta champion Roglic in the final kilometres he knew the general classification battle was won.

"It's the first time in my life I feel like this," he said. "To be honest, I was just counting the kilometres. My feeling was super. The team did a super good job again. I won because the team did everything. Thank you.

"I knew I was going very well even before the race started. I really didn't know if a podium was possible but the training had gone very well since the Giro. I went for it on the day by day and it all went perfectly."

With just the 21st stage around Granada left, Mas now holds a 2:15-second lead over Roglic with Austria's Gall 2:44 in arrears. REUTERS