For The Love Of Cycling

Stage 21 of the Vuelta saw chaos, with the peloton calling for the stage to be neutralised in the face of safety concerns. Today's final stage was slightly different to previous years, taking place in Grenada rather than Madrid. Ned Boulting and David Millar dive into the causes for neutralisation and what that means for the race.

Claiming his first ever Grand Tour victory in his home country, Enric Mas is your 2026 Vuelta a España winner! Ned Boulting and David Millar reflect on what a journey it's been for the 31 year old from Mallorca.

In addition to this, Ned and David list a few of the young riders that have impressed them the most during this year's Vuelta.

Plus, has David's son finally caught up to him??

Thanks for joining us throughout our daily coverage, it's been an absolute pleasure.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Absolute chaos ensued during Stage 20 of the Vuelta a España, the penultimate stage of this Grand Tour, but is it already over?

Today’s route is renowned for being brutal. Taking us 186.6 kilometres from La Calahorra to Collado del Alguacil across just shy of 4900 metres of climbing, this was no easy race. The gradients are extreme.

The race starts of gently, with the first climb at Puerto de Blancares only averaging a 3.7% incline, however once the riders pass on to the Alto de El Purdue, that’s when the ride gets extreme. With gradients of 9-11%, including a section at 17%, today’s stage was thrilling.

Are the results already decided as we finish the Queen stage of the Vuelta? Ned Boulting and David Millar break down Stage 20 of the Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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The finish line of the Vuelta a España is almost in sight as we finish Stage 19 on a hilly route from Vélez-Málaga to Peñas Blancas. Estepona.

The route takes us 211km along the coast, before heading up into the hilly region, where riders face a total ascent of 4190 metres.

Today proved an emotional and a nostalgic one, particularly for Eddie Dunbar, following a crash in a training camp earlier this year. What has been ten years in the making all made up for it today with a stage victory!

With Enric Mas still starting the day in the red jersey, we get into what tomorrow’s Stage 20 really means for him and the rest of the riders on what promises to be a brutal stage towards the end of the Vuelta a España.

Ned Boulting and David Millar break down Stage 19 of the Vuelta a España.
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The Vuelta a España reaches a crucial point on Stage 18 as the race turns against the clock, with 32.1km between El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera.

With Enric Mas starting the day in red, Felix Gall in second and Primož Roglič sitting third overall, the time trial represented a huge opportunity for the Slovenian to close the gap. Roglič had historically had the advantage over Mas against the clock, but the Spaniard had more than two minutes in hand and needed to limit his losses to keep the lead.

At the front of the stage, Stefan Küng produced a huge ride to set the fastest time, holding off the challenge of the other time-trial specialists. Wout van Aert had been one of the main threats to his time but faded slightly towards the finish, leaving Küng to claim a major Vuelta victory.

The real drama came further down the road as the GC riders completed their rides. Roglič put significant time into Enric Mas, but not enough to take the red jersey. Mas finished just 12th fastest on the day, losing a little over half a minute to Roglič and successfully defending his overall lead. Félix Gall dropped from second to third overall, with Roglič moving into second.

We get into Küng's brilliant stage win, Roglič's attempt to take control of the GC, Mas' successful defence of the red jersey and what the time trial means for the final stages of the Vuelta.
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Matthew Brennan's remarkable Vuelta a España debut reaches another level as he takes his fifth stage win of the race in Sevilla.

Stage 17 covers 185km from Dos Hermanas to Sevilla and looks tailor-made for another bunch sprint. A two-man breakaway of Enzo Paleni and Sinuhe Fernández spends much of the day out front, but Visma-Lease a Bike and Cofidis keep the escape within reach as the kilometres tick down.

There is a brief moment of tension when crosswinds create a split in the peloton, but none of the major GC contenders are caught out and the groups eventually come back together. With the break still fighting on inside the final 20km, Visma take control once again, determined to give Brennan another opportunity.

Paleni is finally caught with just a few kilometres remaining, and after a flurry of late attacks, the sprinters' teams regroup for the finish. Uno-X lead the sprint, but Brennan produces another perfectly timed finish to come around Magnus Cort and hold off a late charge from Jordi Meeus. Meeus takes second, with Cort third, as Brennan becomes the first rider to win five stages on his Grand Tour debut since Fernando Gaviria in 2017.

We get into Brennan's extraordinary run of victories, Visma's control of another sprint stage, the late crosswind scare and how the finale unfolded in Sevilla, while Enric Mas safely protects the red jersey ahead of tomorrow's crucial time trial.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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