2026 Vuelta a España Stage 9 Results & Recap
Stage 9 of the 2026 Vuelta a España is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
After becoming the first Spanish rider to take the leader's red jersey for eight years following the abandon of Tadej Pogačar (UEX) on Saturday, Enric Mas (MOV) produced a performance entirely befitting that status on the race's "queen" stage, outsprinting Oscar Onley (NCI) for victory at the summit of the Alto de Aitana. Primož Roglič (RBH) finished third, 12 seconds behind the leading pair, while Felix Gall (DCT) was 18 seconds back in fourth.
The victory meant Mas increased his overall lead to 1'18" on Roglič, with Gall third at 1'39" and Onley fourth at 2'20".
There were attacks right from the start, with Pavel Sivakov (UEX) prominent from the opening kilometres. Eventually, 24 riders made it in the breakaway, which opened up a gap of five minutes by the stage's halfway point.
On the descent from the day's fourth climb, 23rd birthday boy Alessandro Romele (XAT) attacked from the break, opening a gap that enabled him to win the intermediate sprint in Benifallim and take maximum points on the Puerto de Benifallim soon after. Sivakov and Spanish national chapion Marcel Camprubi (PQT) bridged up to Romele in the undulations that followed, the trio's lead on the bunch still a healthy 5'30".
Decathlon CMA CGM Team went to the front on that climb, cutting the escapees' advantage to below five minutes going onto the final 22km ascent. Up ahead Romele quickly lost ground on his breakaway companions, and for a long while it looked like Sivakov and Camprubi would stay clear.
Decathlon kept driving, though, cutting the leading duo's advantage to two minutes halfway up the Aitana, which prompted Sivakov to accelerate away from Camprubi. Soon after, Gregor Mühlberger (DCT) went to the front of the bunch and his increase in pace all but finished off Sivakov's hopes.
With 7km left, Gall made his move, Mas, Onley, Roglič and Richard Carapaz (EFE) going with him, Jarno Widar (LOI) joining the party too soon after. The attacks then came thick and fast, Carapaz the next to move and the first to catch Sivakov.
Gall attacked a second time, then Mattias Skjelmose (LTK) bridged up to the leaders and immediately countered, Harold Tejada (XAT) going with the Dane, Widar joining them. Mas chased across to this trio and went away from them, with Onley the only one able to bridge the gap.
Roglič bridged up the two leaders with 2km left, then fell back when Mas accelerated once more, Onley still glued to his wheel, a formation they remained in all of the way into the finish and across the line.
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