Enric Mas finally claimed his first Grand Tour victory on Sunday, winning the 2026 Vuelta a Espana after years of near-misses.
The 31-year-old Movistar rider finished 2 minutes and 15 seconds ahead of four-time Vuelta champion Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), with Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) third, a further 29 seconds back.
Mas, a three-time runner-up (2018, 2021, and 2022) and third-place finisher in 2024, became the first Spaniard to win the race since Alberto Contador in 2014. He took the red jersey after race favourite Tadej Pogacar crashed out on stage 8. Mas then defended the lead with strong performances, including a stage win and solid showings in the time trial and the decisive mountain stages in the Sierra Nevada.
On the final ceremonial stage in Granada, Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X) took the win after a breakaway.
Mas crossed the line arm-in-arm with his Movistar teammates to the roar of the home crowds, sealing Movistar’s first Vuelta victory since Nairo Quintana in 2016.
“The reality is that the team needed a victory like this, and now we have it,” Mas said. He later added that winning the Vuelta was “marvellous” after years of dreaming and working for it since his debut in 2017.
NO ES UN SUEÑO.
LAS ESTUFAS FUNCIONARON.𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐔 ES CAMPEÓN DE LA VUELTA A ESPAÑA 2026.#LaVuelta26 #LaCasadelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/r7sJ5ZUQlc
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