thecyclingdane

Stage 12 from Vera to Calar Alto delivered another brutal day in the mountains, with Jakob Omrzel producing a stunning solo ride from the breakaway to take his first Grand Tour stage victory. But behind him, Enric Mas delivered the biggest statement of the day in the GC battle.
The red jersey attacked on the final climb, putting time into Primož Roglič and Félix Gall and extending his overall lead to 1:45 over Roglič and 2:06 over Gall.
In this Stage 12 recap, we break down Mas's attack, Movistar's impressive team performance, Roglič's response, Omrzel's breakthrough victory and what it all means for the fight for the Vuelta red jersey.
The Vuelta is opening up — and Enric Mas is taking control.

The 21-year-old Brit takes his third stage victory of the 2026 Vuelta a España, beating Bryan Coquard and Jordi Meeus in a chaotic sprint finish in Lorca. It was another brilliant display from Team Visma | Lease a Bike, with Wout van Aert once again playing a crucial role in setting up his young teammate.
Stage 11 took the peloton 153.8km from Cartagena to Lorca on what looked like a straightforward day for the sprinters. But the threat of crosswinds kept the racing nervous, while two breakaway attempts were eventually brought back. Ethan Hayter and Lawrence Warbasse spent much of the latter part of the stage up the road before being caught ahead of the Alto de Aledo.
The Alto de Aledo was the day's only classified climb, coming with around 32km to go, but it wasn't enough to prevent the sprinters from fighting for the win. After the descent, Visma rebuilt its lead-out train, and Van Aert once again delivered Brennan into the perfect position for the final sprint.
Meanwhile, there was no change at the top of the GC, with Enric Mas retaining the red jersey ahead of Primož Roglič. With the sprint stages now giving way to the mountains, the Vuelta is about to get serious again.
We break down Brennan's incredible run of victories, Visma's tactics, Van Aert's role, the sprint in Lorca and what Stage 11 means for the GC battle heading into the next mountain stages.

Wout van Aert looked like the man to beat heading into the finale of Stage 10 of the 2026 Vuelta a España — but once again, victory slipped away from the Belgian.
After 184.7km from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra, the stage came down to a chaotic uphill sprint, with Bastien Tronchon producing a huge surprise to take the win, ahead of Magnus Cort and Thibau Nys.
So what happened to Wout? Was he simply beaten, did the finale not suit him, or did Visma | Lease a Bike get the tactics wrong?
In this episode, we break down the chaotic finish, Tronchon's breakthrough victory, Wout van Aert's near miss, Magnus Cort's strong ride and what it all means as the Vuelta heads into the next stages.
We also look at the GC situation, with Enric Mas continuing to defend the red jersey, and ask whether Wout still has a realistic chance of finally taking a stage win at this Vuelta.

It has been an absolutely chaotic week in cycling.
Tadej Pogačar’s Vuelta a España came to a shocking end after a heavy crash, with the world champion forced to abandon the race. We look at what happened, what it means for the rest of his season, and how his absence could change the Vuelta.
Meanwhile, the transfer market is heating up. Primož Roglič is being linked with a new team, Paul Magnier is reportedly on the move, and several major transfers have now been officially confirmed. We break down the biggest moves and what they could mean for the 2027 season.
And there is plenty of future-star action to discuss. Lorenzo Finn absolutely dominated the Tour de l’Avenir, putting in another huge performance and strengthening his reputation as one of the most exciting young riders in the sport.
Plus, Tom Pidcock is a mountain bike world champion once again, adding another major title to his already extraordinary palmarès.
All that, plus the biggest stories from across the cycling world, in this week's Race Week.

Enric Mas has delivered a huge statement on the Alto de Aitana, winning Stage 9 of the Vuelta a España 2026 and strengthening his grip on the red jersey just one day after Tadej Pogačar's dramatic abandonment. Mas attacked in the final kilometres of the brutal 187.4km mountain stage and held off Oscar Onley, with Primož Roglič finishing third.
In this Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 9 Race Recap & Analysis, we break down an incredible day in the mountains, featuring more than 5,000 metres of climbing and the return of the legendary Alto de Aitana. Mas showed he wasn't simply inheriting the red jersey from Pogačar, taking responsibility in the finale and producing one of the biggest victories of his career.
We look at Oscar Onley's breakthrough performance, Primož Roglič's fight for a fifth Vuelta title, Felix Gall's aggressive racing and the new-look GC battle following Pogačar's exit. Mas now leads Roglič by 1:18, with Gall a further 21 seconds behind.
After Pogačar's incredible dominance earlier in the race, the Vuelta has suddenly been transformed into a completely open Grand Tour. Can Enric Mas hold onto the red jersey all the way to Granada?