Mikel Landa delivered the decisive move on stage 20 of La Vuelta, distancing Tobias Johannessen seven kilometres from the finish and winning at Collado del Alguacil. It was his second La Vuelta stage win, coming eleven years after his first in 2015, on a brutal mountain day that could still shape the GC before the race reaches Granada.
The stage was the eve of the grand finale, and it looked every bit like a final mountain showdown should. There were five categorised ascents, almost 5,000 metres of elevation gain and a race that refused to settle, even after Wout van Aert attacked as soon as the flag dropped and Uno-X Mobility helped form a 14-man breakaway at kilometre 26.
Why this stage mattered
For much of the day, the story was not just the stage win but the tension between the breakaway and the GC moves behind it. Sepp Kuss and Richard Carapaz both launched long-range attacks, turning the finale into a test of endurance as much as power. On a climb like Collado del Alguacil, the race never really allowed riders to hide.
Landa handled that pressure best. When the decisive moment came, he made the split at the front and never looked back. A stage like this rewards patience, timing and the ability to suffer at the right moment, and Landa judged it perfectly.
Enric Mas keeps La Roja
There was also a wider Spanish angle to the day. Enric Mas kept La Roja and remains in position to become the first Spanish overall winner of La Vuelta since 2014, when Alberto Contador was the last Spanish rider to win the race overall.
That means the final mountain stage still carries real weight. Landa’s win has already given Spanish fans a headline result, but the last part of the race in Granada will decide whether Mas can turn a strong position into history.
What comes next in Granada
With stage 20 complete, the focus now moves to the grand finale in Granada. The climbing has already been severe, and the GC battle still has one more day to settle itself. Landa has taken his moment, but the biggest question now is whether Mas can finish the job for La Roja.
