La Vuelta 2026 – Stage 21 [LAST 20 KM]

September 14, 2026

81st La Vuelta Ciclista a España 2026 🇪🇸 (2.UWT) ME – Stage 21 – Carrefour Granada – Granada : 112 km

Vuelta a España 2026 is a UCI WorldTour stage race run across varied Spanish terrain, typically combining high mountains, rolling inland roads, technical city finishes, and exposed transitional stages that can all shape the general classification. The route usually asks riders to manage long climbs, steep ramps, heat, and late-race fatigue, with recovery between decisive stages becoming a central factor. Crosswinds on flatter days, narrow roads in historic towns, and sharp changes in gradient can make even moderate stages tactically tense. Race dynamics often revolve around team control in the mountains, breakaways seeking opportunities on transitional terrain, and repeated attacks on summit finishes or steep uphill drags. Typical stage profiles may include alpine-style climbing days, medium-mountain stages, sprint opportunities, and technical finales that reward good positioning. The finishing style varies widely, from bunch sprints on flatter stages to solo arrivals or small-group battles after selective climbs. The race favors consistency, climbing depth, and resilience across three demanding weeks.

GC times will be taken with 9.8 kilometres remaining. There will be no bonus seconds at the finish, while the points classification remains unchanged.

Enric Mas (Movistar) claimed the biggest triumph of his career with his first Grand Tour victory at the 2026 Vuelta a España, a race that he has finished on the podium in four other occasions.

In what was a day of celebration for Mas and his Movistar team – riders and staff – his overall victory marked Spain’s first in the men’s Vuelta a España since 2014, and Movistar’s first Grand Tour win since 2019.

Mas took over the red leader’s jersey after previous leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) abandoned after a crash on stage 8, but he more than lived up to the pressures of being the race leader across the next 13 stages into Granada.

He won by 2:15 ahead of runner-up Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and 2:44 ahead of third-placed Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), while Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) was fourth at 6:54 back.

“It’s a day to remember, a great day. There’s always a great deal of tension on the final day about what can happen, and it was a long wait and a long way to get to today. This is a very special one,” Mas said in a post-race press conference.

Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) closed out the three-week race by claiming a blockbuster stage 21 victory on the streets of Granada.

The GC times were neutralised for the fourth and final circuit (9.8 kilometres remaining), but the race for the stage win was full-throttle across the final three circuits with a large group splitting off the front.

Johannessen formed part of a reshuffling front group that split off the front on the final circuits, and then entered into a three-up sprint for the finish line, taking the win ahead of runner-up Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana) and third-place Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech).

“I really didn’t expect it today. I really wanted to make the last day of[Magnus Corts’] career special and try for him, but in the last lap I knew I was in the front group, and I tried not to pull in case Cort came back. In the end, I saw that we had the gap, and I was so focused on trying to get that win,” said Johannessen, who was second on the previous day’s stage 20 atop Collado del Alguacil, and second on stage 7 into Aramón Valdelinares.

“I’ve been knocking on that door for a long time, well over three years since the last time, and it feels really special to do it today. I don’t know what to say. I’m so happy.”

Johannessen led the three riders into the final corner and then started his sprint, holding off the other two at the line.

“I had it in my head that I would not do anything before trying to be in the last corner in the first position, and then go full gas from there. So, I just cannot believe that I could do it today. It feels so good.”

Large group clears peloton on final circuits in Granada
After the previous day’s epic slog in the mountains, which saw a thrilling battle for both the GC placings and the stage win, the Vuelta a España came to an end with a much more straightforward, simple stage 21.

The peloton raced 112km from Granada with a testing climb, Alto de la Alhambra, 2.1km with an average gradient of 6.6%, on the final four circuits that offered a balanced battle for the stage win.

However, following talks between the Vuelta a España organisers and the CPA, the final lap of the concluding circuit was neutralised for the general classification due to safety concerns.

Therefore, times for the general classification were taken after the fourth of five passages of the finish line, but a stage winner would be declared after the final lap.

The first quarter of the race was more of a procession, with teams lining out for photos, toasting with champagne glasses, and generally celebrating the conclusion of three weeks of tough racing. Mas and his Movistar team had the most to celebrate, having all but sealed the overall victory.

Roglič might not have taken the red jersey from Mas on the previous day, but he still looked in good spirits, giving a wave to the TV moto and cameras, and generally chatting and enjoying himself with his companions in the peloton.

And even Gall joined the celebrations alongside Mas and Roglič for a photo of the top three in the general classification.

Once the race started, Movistar led, riders in red shorts and mostly white jerseys, with their race leader, Mas, in all red.

They reached the first passage of the four finishing circuits in Granada with 70km remaining and raced over the first time up the Alto de la Alhambra all together.

After a relatively subdued opening lap, a flurry of activity ignited on the second of four circuits. Visma-Lease a Bike assumed control at the front of the peloton, with Steven Kruijswijk riding on the last day of his career. But it was Groupama-FDJ that took over as they approached the circuit’s climb for the second time.

With 24km of racing remaining, eight riders cleared the field: Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike), Milan Vader (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Axel Laurance (Netcompany Ineos), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep), Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) and Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana).

Mountains leader Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) surged to the front and then ended up leading a larger chase group that snapped off the front of the main field led by Movistar at the start of the third of four laps.

The two front groups reconnected, many of them suffering to get over the Alto de la Alhambra, but still roughly 50 seconds ahead of the main field that included Mas,

The main field passed through the start of the final lap, with the general classification neutralised, indicating the victory of Mas at the Vuelta a España, as Movistar were content to set a steady pace into the finish.

With the stage still up for grabs, upfront, Pau Miquel (Bahrain-Victorious) put pressure on the front group and set up his teammate Pello Bilbao on the final climb over the Alto de la Alhambra, the Spaniard solo over the top.

The move looked promising until Laurance bridged across and then dropped Bilbao 7.6km to go, but chasing behind him were Tronchon, Nys, Buitrago, Paret-Peintre, Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike), Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Johannessen, Harold Tejada and Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana), and Jarno Widar (Lotto Intermarché).

Laurance attacked again, with Debruyne, Johannessen and Romele just seconds ahead of Nys and Wider. Under the banner indicating the final kilometre, Debruyne pulled Johannessen and Romele all the way into the final 600 metres.

But it was Johannessen who launched his sprint after taking the lead through the final right-hand bend and held off the other two to take the win in Granada.

Results :

Final General Classification :