Landa wins emotional Vuelta stage as Mas nears title

Mikel Landa delivered an emotional victory on stage 20 of the 2026 Vuelta a España, winning the race's toughest mountain stage to claim his first Grand Tour stage win in nine years. The 36-year-old SoudalQuickStep rider attacked from the breakaway on the final climb, the Collado del Alguacil, and finished 47 seconds ahead of Norway's Tobias Johannessen. The victory marked a remarkable comeback for Landa, whose season had been disrupted by a fractured pelvis suffered in a crash at the Itzulia Basque Country in April. He arrived at the Vuelta uncertain of his form but steadily improved throughout the three-week race. "I feel very happy. Something that I've been looking for a long time and finally I win again," Landa said after the stage, visibly emotional. "It's really emotional. It's been a really hard season, a really hard Vuelta for me and today was the last chance." Behind Landa's breakaway success, Spain's Enric Mas successfully defended his overall lead to move to the brink of the Vuelta title. The Movistar rider extended his advantage over four-time winner Primož Roglič to two minutes and 15 seconds with only the final processional stage remaining.