LA VUELTA 2026 | STAGE 20 | LA CALAHORRA > COLLADO DEL ALGUACIL
‘Landismo’ is not dead. After his roughest season, Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) revived the greatest moments that illuminated his career with an exhilarating solo victory at Collado del Alguacil, a brutal summit finish on the eve of the grand finale in Granada. The attackers lit up the race over the many summits of the day, and Landa proved the strongest climber of the lot, eventually distancing Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) seven kilometres from the finish to take his second La Vuelta stage win eleven years after the first one, in 2015. The GC battle was also extremely intense, with Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) launching their attacks with 100 kilometres to go. The American climber found an opening to move into the GC top 5, but the Ecuadorian was controlled by his rivals. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) eventually distanced his rivals on the final climb, but Enric Mas (Movistar) retained La Roja and all but secured overall victory. He is set to become the first Spanish winner of La Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2014.
The final mountain showdown! On the eve of the grand finale in Granada, the peloton face emblematic summits such as the Puerto de El Purche en route to an unprecedented finish. The stage is packed with climbing: 5 categorised ascents (53 KOM points) and almost 5,000 metres of elevation gain between La Calahorra and Collado del Alguacil (186.8 km).
Will daring attackers be able to turn the race upside down nonsuch terrain? Although the finish is unprecedented, many riders know the final climb from training camps held in Sierra Nevada, and a rider like Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) already completed significant long range assaults on these roads.
Another spectacular battle for the break
With the green jersey on his back, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) attacks as soon as the flag drops. Ivo Oliveira (UAE Emirates XRG) accompanies him. And a fierce battle ensues, leading to early splits in the bunch. Enric Mas is caught behind, but Movistar react rapidly to close the gap.
Meanwhile, Uno-X Mobility launch a daring team attack, with six riders to close the gap to Van Aert and Oliveira: Magnus Cort, Simon Dalby, Tobias Johannessen, Andreas Kron, and Andreas Leknessund. They are followed by Finn Fisher-Black, Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Oscar Chamberlain (Decathlon CMA CGM), Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious), Bryan Coquard, and Louis Rouland (Cofidis) to make it a 14-man breakaway at km 26.
Behind them, the battle rages on. A 55-man chase group emerge. Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet (Groupama-FDJ United) is the main GC threat: 12th overall, 18’19’’ behind Mas. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5) are on the move again. EF Education-EasyPost have five riders (Albanese, Mackellar, Rafferty, Rodriguez, Shaw), Visma-Lease a Bike have four (Armirail, Brennan, Kruijswijk, Nordhagen), Movistar have three (Castrillo, Garcia Pierna, Romeo)…
Kuss and Carapaz launch long range assaults
Uno-X Mobility are the driving force at the front while Wout van Aert picks up mountain points at Puerto de Blancares (cat. 3, km 50.7) and on the two ascents of the Puerto de El Purche (cat. 1, summited at km 94.3 and 125.5). The pace is much easier in the peloton, trailing by almost ten minutes when Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) attacks on the first climb up the Puerto de El Purche.
Richard Carapaz also sets off on the climb, with 99 kilometres to go. He rapidly joins Kuss and forces Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) to chase. The Austrian climber closes the gap at the summit. Only Enric Mas and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) follow. Carapaz tries again on the second ascent but he doesn’t find an opening against Mas, Gall and Roglic.
As Van Aert goes first at the intermediate sprint (Güejar Sierra, km 144.0), the Belgian superstar all but secures the green jersey on the eve of the grand finale in Granada.
Landa resuscitates, Mas survives
Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) joins the front group on the following downhill, and Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) does it at the bottom of the climb up Puerto de El Duque (cat. 1, km 155.4). The Belgian youngster immediately accelerates. Only Landa and Johannessen can follow him. Behind them, Sepp Kuss attacks again from the GC group. The American climber manages to get away while Carapaz launches a flurry of unsuccessful attacks.
The trio stick together en route to the final climb: 8.3 km at 9.8%, with gradients up to 22%. Landa goes solo with 7 kilometres remaining. The Spanish veteran flies to his second La Vuelta stage win, eleven years after the first in Cortals d’Encamp (Andorra, 2015).
With the support of Van Aert and eventually Nordhagen, Kuss cross the line in 8th place, with a gap of 4’35’’. In the GC group, Gall proves the strongest in the final two kilometres. He gains 17’’ on Mas, 55’’ on Roglic, and 1’54’’ on Carapaz. The top 4 positions overall don’t change: Mas is set to become the first Spanish winner of La Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2014, ahead of Roglic and Gall. Kuss moves to fifth place, while Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos) drops to sixth and all but secure the white jersey against Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious).
Stage 20
- Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) 4h58’01”
- Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +0’47”
- Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) +1’27”
GC
- Enric Mas (Movistar Team) 70h56’58”
- Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +2’15”
- Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) +2’44”
