Mas finished the tour, having worn the leader’s jersey in a Grand Tour for the first time in his career, ultimately with a 2-minute 15-second lead over Primož Roglič (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) and 2 minutes 44 seconds over Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM). The time for the general classification was recorded during the penultimate crossing of the finish line, 9.8 kilometres before the end of the stage, which was actually 112 kilometres long.

Before the race, the professionals had lobbied for all four laps to be neutralised over the climb to the Alhambra, particularly because of the descent. The race organisers only agreed not to count the final lap. As a result, the peloton did not really start racing until very late on.

Johannessen’s alternative plan

It was only in the final two laps that the attacks began. Whilst a large group still in contention for the stage win broke away on the penultimate climb, the top 10 in the general classification had already eased off – the fact that there had been collusion between the teams was particularly evident in the case of Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain – Victorious), who initially went along with the attacks but then dropped back without putting up a fight.

The stage victory was effectively decided on the final climb, when around ten riders managed to break away from the rest of the field. Alongside Johannessen, Romele and Debruyne, Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) was also among them. However, the top favourite for the stage win had no support riders with him and was forced to counter every attack on his own. He managed this for a long time, but not quite until the decisive attack, when the podium trio had managed to break away. It was then that Johannessen, who had fought selflessly to finish second on the queen stage the day before, surprisingly emerging as the strongest. He celebrated his fifth victory as a professional, his first on the WorldTour.

“It’s been more than three years since I last won. It feels very special to have done it today. I’m so happy,” said the winner, who had actually intended to support his team-mate Magnus Cort, who is riding the final race of his career. “I wanted to make his final day a special one for him. But on the final lap, I realised I was in the leading group and didn’t set the pace, in the hope that he might catch up again. In the end, I saw that we’d opened up a gap, and I was so focused on securing this victory, because I’ve been knocking on this door for quite some time.”

Mas and his “unforgettable day”

Just as with Mas’s Red Jersey, there were no further changes to the other classification jerseys. Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) finished the Vuelta in the Green Jersey, whilst Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain - Victorious) was crowned King of the Mountains. As the best young rider, Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) finished sixth in the general classification.

But the winner was Enric Mas, the 31-year-old from Arta in Mallorca. “It was an unforgettable day and a very special Vuelta,” he said before climbing onto the podium to receive his trophy. “I’ve had to wait a very long time for this. And it’s been a long road to get to this day. I was able to enjoy every kilometre today.”

2026 Vuelta a España – Results of Stage 21

Here’s how the 21st stage of the 2026 Vuelta a España went

Even after all the photos and banter during the first few kilometres of the ceremonial ride had been over, the peloton still hadn’t picked up the pace. With 50 kilometres to go, the average speed was still less than 35 km/h. And that didn’t change even on the first of the four final laps through the city centre. It almost seemed as though the peloton had agreed on a complete non-aggression pact.

However, when the riders tackled the 2,100-metre-long climb to the Alhambra – with an average gradient of 6.6 per cent – for the second time, the pace picked up noticeably. Groupama – FDJ United, led by Bastien Tronchon, really got the race going a good 28 kilometres from the finish. A group then formed around Tronchon, comprising Brennan, Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana Team), Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM), Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS), Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe), Thibau Nys (Lidl – Trek) and Milan Vader (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team).

A lap later, however, the peloton had closed the narrow gap again. At least, the part of the field that was still in contention for the stage win. The general classification contenders eased off and stayed out of the fray, reaching the neutralisation zone at the 9.8-kilometre mark a good minute and a half behind.

On the final climb, it was Pello Bilbao (Bahrain - Victorious) who went on the attack. Laurance then flew past from behind. Seven kilometres from the finish, the Frenchman crossed the summit, but eight professionals caught up again on the descent, including Brennan. 2,000 metres from the finish, the gap opened up again after Laurance made another attempt. He then had to pay the price for pushing the pace so hard. Johannessen, Romele and Debruyne broke away, whilst behind them even Brennan was unable to close the gap.

And so the sprint began. Johannessen was the first to round the final bend, launched the sprint and held off Romele, who on paper was clearly the stronger rider.