RACE Report: Mikel Landa proved there is plenty of life left in those 36-year-old legs, attacking clear on the brutal final climb to win the Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 20. Behind the Basque veteran, Enric Mas survived the last mountain battle and will ride into Madrid as the overall winner.
Mikel Landa can still put on a show.
The 36-year-old Basque climber powered away from Tobias Halland Johannessen and Ramses De Bruyne on the Collado del Alguacil to take his first victory in more than five years—and only the second Vuelta stage win of his long career.
Landa was comfortably the strongest of the three leaders on the final climb. Halland Johannessen fought hard to keep him in sight, but the gap continued to grow as the gradient bit. The Norwegian finished second, more than half a minute down, while De Bruyne completed an impressive ride in third.
Behind them, Enric Mas did everything required to protect the red jersey. Felix Gall managed to ride away from the race leader in the closing kilometres, while Primož Roglič and Richard Carapaz both struggled, but none of it was enough to change the podium.
Barring disaster on the final stage, Mas is the winner of the 2026 Vuelta a España.
One Last Day in the Mountains
The penultimate stage offered the general classification contenders one final opportunity to turn the Vuelta upside down.
The 186.8-kilometre route from La Calahorra to the Collado del Alguacil included three first-category climbs and almost 5,000 metres of elevation before the hors catégorie summit finish. The final climb—8 kilometres at a savage average of 9.8%—looked like the perfect place for one last red-jersey ambush.
Mas started the day with a 1:37 advantage over Roglič. It was a useful lead, but certainly not enough for the Movistar leader to enjoy a relaxed afternoon.
Van Aert Gets the Breakaway Started
Wout van Aert was one of the first riders to make a move, going clear with Ivo Oliveira before a much larger group formed.
Finn Fisher-Black, Oscar Chamberlain, Pau Miquel, Magnus Cort, Simon Dalby, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Andreas Kron, Andreas Leknessund, Rasmus Tiller, Bryan Coquard and Louis Rouland were among those to join the escape.
Behind them, another strong group containing Steven Kruijswijk, Santiago Buitrago and Landa attempted to bridge across.
The leaders eventually reached the Puerto de El Purche with an advantage of more than 10 minutes. That was when the racing behind began to get serious.
Carapaz Lights the Fuse
Richard Carapaz was never likely to let the final mountain stage pass quietly.
The Ecuadorian attacked on the Puerto de El Purche, forcing Decathlon CMA CGM to chase in defence of Gall’s third place overall. Carapaz soon caught Sepp Kuss, who had already slipped away from the red-jersey group.
The pair couldn’t establish a decisive advantage, however, and the favourites rejoined them shortly after the summit.
Carapaz’s attack still did plenty of damage. The main group was cut down to a select collection of GC riders, with Oscar Onley and Jakob Omrzel—fifth and sixth overall—among those unable to hold the pace.
Kuss Tries Again
Kuss attacked for a second time on the following climb. With the American sitting 11th overall, the red-jersey group was willing to let him go, allowing him to build a useful advantage.
At the front, several chasers finally made contact with the original breakaway. Ramses De Bruyne didn’t waste any time settling in. The young Belgian attacked almost immediately, taking Halland Johannessen and Landa with him.
That move would decide the stage.
Behind, Roglič’s Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe teammates set the tempo on the Puerto de El Duque, but when the final domestique pulled off, the expected Roglič attack never came.
Carapaz was more ambitious. His team put Juan Rodríguez on the front before the Ecuadorian launched another acceleration. He tried three times, but Mas, Roglič and Gall answered every move.
The four GC contenders crossed the summit together.
La Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 20 Video Hilights
Three Riders Against the Mountain
As the race approached the Collado del Alguacil, Landa, Halland Johannessen and De Bruyne held an advantage of more than two minutes over their closest chasers.
Kuss and Van Aert were approximately four minutes behind, while the Mas group was almost 10 minutes down. The stage victory was clearly going to one of the three riders at the front.
Landa made his move with 7 kilometres remaining.
De Bruyne was immediately in trouble. Halland Johannessen tried to follow, but he couldn’t match the Basque rider’s acceleration. The Uno-X Mobility rider kept Landa within sight for a time, although the gap slowly and steadily continued to open.
There was no hesitation and no looking back from Landa. He simply settled into his rhythm and drove towards the summit.
Landa Is Back
By the final, painfully steep kilometre, there was no longer any doubt.
Landa had been the strongest rider in the break and now had enough time to enjoy the closing metres. After more than five years without a win, the veteran climber crossed the line alone to take an emotional victory.
Halland Johannessen finished second, with De Bruyne holding on for an excellent third place.
For Landa, it was a long-awaited return to the top step—and a reminder that on the right mountain and the right day, “Landismo” is still very much alive.
Gall Attacks as Roglič Cracks
The fight among the favourites continued far behind the stage winner.
Gall attacked on the final climb, putting Roglič and Carapaz into difficulty. Mas also had to let the Austrian go, but with approximately three minutes in hand over Gall at the start of the day, the red jersey had no reason to panic.
Roglič lost more ground, but there was no major reshuffling of the overall standings. Mas retained the race lead, Roglič remained second and Gall held onto third.
There is still the ceremonial final stage to come, but the 2026 Vuelta has its winner.
Enric Mas is finally ready to take red home to Madrid.
PEZ Stage 20 Takeaway
For me – two great things happened today – 1. Mikel Landa delivered the romantic victory of the Vuelta’s final mountain stage, turning back the clock with a perfectly timed attack on the Collado del Alguacil. I love seeing the old guard win one more time. 2. The bigger prize belongs to Enric Mas, who calmly absorbed every challenge and emerged from the last day in the mountains with his red jersey—and his first Vuelta a España victory—secure. His emotion showed his true Spanish blood, and seeing how much it means to him, makes it feel even better to witness as a fan.
La Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 20 Results
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