VUELTA’26 STAGE 9: Enric Mas started the day in red following Tadej Pogačar’s shock exit from the race, then finished it looking every bit like the man to beat at this Vuelta. The Spaniard attacked the favourites on the Alto de Aitana, cracked Primož Roglič and then beat Oscar Onley in a two-man sprint to take both the stage and a firmer grip on the overall lead.
The king is gone. Long live the king?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves – but Enric Mas delivered one hell of a statement on Stage 9 – taking his first Grand Tour stage win in eight years.
Twenty-four hours after Tadej Pogačar crashed out of the Vuelta, Mas rolled away from Villajoyosa wearing the red jersey. By the time he reached the summit of the Alto de Aitana, there was no sense that he had inherited it by default.
Mas had earned it.
A Monster Day in the Mountains
Stage 9 was built for the real climbers: 187.4 kilometres, more than 5,100 metres of elevation and very little flat road on which to hide.
The riders first faced the Puerto de Tárbena—7.2 kilometres at 5.4%—before tackling the vicious Puerto de El Miserat, with its 5.2 kilometres averaging a leg-breaking 10%.
Then came the main event: the Alto de Aitana.
At 22 kilometres and 5.8%, the final climb was not the steepest ascent in the race, but after a relentless day in the mountains it offered more than enough road to expose any weakness.
The Aitana is no stranger to the Vuelta. Claus Michael Møller was the first rider to win here in 2001, followed by Leonardo Piepoli in 2004, Damiano Cunego in 2009 and Pierre Latour in 2014.
The question was who would add his name to that list—and who would emerge as the new favourite following Pogačar’s departure.
Six Riders Start the Breakaway Battle
With Pogačar gone and the race suddenly blown wide open, plenty of riders saw Stage 9 as their chance. The fight to make the early break was fast, aggressive and understandably crowded.
Six riders eventually forced their way clear: Pavel Sivakov, Andreas Kron, Alastair MacKellar, Fabian Weiss, Alessandro Romele and Alexey Lutsenko, who is riding the final season of his career.
The peloton was in no mood to let them disappear without a fight.
More attacks followed on the Puerto de Tárbena, where the stronger climbers tried to bridge across. Weiss had already lost contact with the original move, while the sprinters were heading for the gruppetto with more than 150 kilometres still to race.
This was going to be a very long day for anyone without climbing legs.
More Riders Bridge Across
As the peloton continued to thin, another strong group escaped in pursuit of the leaders. Finn Fisher-Black, Stefan Küng, Bruno Armirail, Ben Turner, Santiago Buitrago, Ramses Debruyne, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Gijs Leemreize and Urko Berrade were among those to make the move.
After a furious chase on the descent toward the Puerto de El Miserat, the groups came together.
Even then, the attacking was not finished. More riders tried to bridge across while Movistar finally brought some order to the peloton behind.
The Spanish team went to the front for Mas, but seemed content with the situation. The break’s advantage grew steadily, reaching close to five minutes with 80 kilometres remaining.
For a while, it looked as though we might see two separate races: one for the stage victory and another between the overall contenders.
Romele Refuses to Wait
Alessandro Romele had already shown himself several times during the opening week, and the Italian clearly had no intention of waiting for the Alto de Aitana to make his move.
He attacked well before the final climb and put the rest of the breakaway under pressure. Spanish champion Marcel Camprubí and Pavel Sivakov recognized the danger and set off in pursuit.
With 30 kilometres remaining, Camprubí and Sivakov finally joined Romele. The XDS Astana rider was first over the Puerto de Benifallim, but that proved to be his final contribution to the stage.
As soon as the road began climbing toward the Alto de Aitana, Romele was dropped.
Camprubí and Sivakov pressed on, but the peloton was now coming—and coming quickly.
Gall Opens the GC Battle
Decathlon CMA CGM took control of the chase for Felix Gall, who clearly had plans for the final climb.
Sander De Pestel and Léo Bisiaux drove the shrinking peloton before Gregor Mühlberger took over, setting up his Austrian leader for the attack.
Gall accelerated on one of the steeper sections of the Aitana, but he could not shake the other favourites. His move did, however, blow the race open.
Jarno Widar attacked. Richard Carapaz had a go. Oscar Onley tried his luck. Then the red jersey himself moved to the front.
The attacks did not immediately create any significant gaps, but they dramatically increased the pace. The remnants of the breakaway were swept up one by one.
Sivakov fought on the longest, but even he could not resist the GC group bearing down from behind.
The escape was over. Now the favourites had the mountain to themselves.
La Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 9 Video Final Kms
Mas Makes His Move
For several kilometres, the attacks came thick and fast. Riders accelerated, opened small gaps and were dragged back. Nobody appeared capable of delivering the decisive blow.
Then Mas stood on the pedals.
This was not a tentative move to test his rivals. The red jersey committed fully, accelerating away and forcing the rest to respond.
White jersey Oscar Onley was the first to make contact. Primož Roglič dug deep and managed to bridge across, briefly making it three at the front.
But Mas wasn’t finished.
The Spaniard attacked again, and this time Roglič could not follow. The former Vuelta winner began to lose ground while Onley buried himself to remain attached to the red jersey.
Mas and Onley drove toward the summit together, with Roglič chasing behind but unable to close the gap.
Mas Wins the Two-Man Sprint
Onley had survived every acceleration, but he still had to find a way past Mas at the finish.
He couldn’t.
Mas had the stronger sprint, powering clear in the final metres to win Stage 9 on the Alto de Aitana. Onley crossed the line second after a superb ride, while Roglič limited his losses and took third.
It was more than a stage victory for Mas.
After Pogačar’s abandonment, there was a danger that whoever inherited the red jersey might be seen as a temporary leader—the rider fortunate enough to profit from the favourite’s misfortune.
Mas put an end to that conversation.
He took control of the race, attacked the best climbers in the Vuelta and finished the job at the summit. Pogačar may have left the race unexpectedly, but Mas showed that he intends to make the red jersey his own.
The Vuelta has a new favourite—and he’s Spanish.
PEZ Takeaway: Enric Mas did not simply inherit the red jersey—he and rode like a boss and stepped in the best way possible. His attack on the Alto de Aitana cracked Primož Roglič, isolated Oscar Onley and confirmed that the Spaniard is now the rider everyone else must beat. The post-Pogačar Vuelta has found its new leader, and Mas looks ready to chase the biggest win of his career.
La Vuelta a Espana 2026 Stage 9 Results
Bonus Reads:
1. Read our complete Vuelta a España 2026 preview here
2. See all the PEZ Vuelta Coverage here
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