Enric Mas wins Vuelta stage nine at Alto de Aitana to extend overall race lead
The Spanish rider dropped his rivals on the final climb from Villajoyosa to beat Oscar Onley and gain a 1-minute 18-second general classification cushion over Primoz Roglic.
Stage nine victory on Alto de Aitana
Enric Mas won stage nine of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday, riding away in the closing kilometres of the Alto de Aitana to defend his red jersey. The 31-year-old Movistar leader covered the 187.4-kilometre route from Villajoyosa to the summit finish, delivering his team's first stage win in their home Grand Tour in five years. Oscar Onley of Netcompany-Ineos matched Mas's acceleration until the final 200 metres, finishing in second place. Primoz Roglic crossed the line in third place, surrendering 12 seconds to Mas on the mountain. The triumph marked Mas's second career stage win at the Vuelta, following his 2018 victory in Andorra, and ended a 1,429-day dry spell dating back to the 2022 Giro dell'Emilia.
- Enric Mas resolves a dropped chain before the official start in Villajoyosa
- Pavel Sivakov attacks to establish the day's breakaway
- Felix Gall attacks from the peloton on the Alto de Aitana climb
- The peloton catches breakaway rider Pavel Sivakov on the final ascent
- Enric Mas launches his decisive attack on the steepest slopes
- Mas launches a sprint to defeat Oscar Onley and claim the stage victory
Breakaway and Decathlon's mountain pace
The stage challenged the peloton with 5,166 metres of vertical elevation gain, culminating in the 21.9-kilometre climb up the Alto de Aitana, which averaged 5.8% and reached pitches of 8%. UAE Team Emirates rider Pavel Sivakov attacked in the opening kilometre, building a breakaway group whose lead extended past five minutes. Felix Gall had his Decathlon-CMA-CGM squad set a relentless tempo from the base of the final ascent to reel in the leaders. The chase caught Sivakov four kilometres from the summit, ending the breakaway's bid for the stage. Gall launched an attack 6.9 kilometres from the line, drawing immediate responses from Mas, Roglic, Richard Carapaz, and Onley.
Decisive attack and jersey defence
Mas entered the stage as leader after Tadej Pogacar crashed out on Saturday on the road to Xeraco. Out of respect for the injured Slovenian, Mas had declined to wear the red jersey on Saturday's podium, and Movistar chose not to hold evening celebrations. Mas started Sunday with a brief scare when his chain dropped before the official start, but Movistar sports director Chente Garcia expressed confidence from the team car.
We are dialed in and Enric is doing very well.
Mas absorbed multiple attacks on the slopes before launching his own acceleration three kilometres from the finish. Only Onley followed the move, but the 23-year-old Scot, racing after missing the Tour de France through injury, could not overhaul Mas in the final 200-metre sprint. Mas celebrated the stage victory and his leadership with reporters at the summit.
The team did a ten-out-of-ten job, we controlled the situation very well and I felt very good at the end.
Now I understand Tadej, the red jersey gives you wings.
General classification standings
The stage result extended Mas's advantage at the top of the general classification to 1 minute 18 seconds over Roglic, who is pursuing a fifth overall Vuelta title. Gall remains in third place overall, now 1 minute 39 seconds behind Mas after losing contact during the final kilometres. Onley climbed to fourth place overall at 2 minutes 20 seconds back, sitting 41 seconds behind Gall on the provisional podium. Mas, who previously finished on the Vuelta podium four times with three runner-up finishes and one third place, now carries Spain's hopes of ending a Grand Tour title drought stretching back to Alberto Contador's 2015 Giro d'Italia triumph.
