Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) went second and Vito Braet (Lotto-Intermarche) took third in the bunch sprint on the Atlantic coast in La Rabida.

Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) grabbed fourth ahead of Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), the latter having worked back into the front of the peloton after being caught behind a split with 20km to go.

Visma worked at the front most of the day and tracked down a five-rider breakaway with 25km to go. Once on the long, wide road to the finish and cruising through a final left-hand bend with 600 metres to go, Van Aert wound up and sprang to the front to lead out Brennan to the line with open space for the win.

"It's unbelievable, four victories here. The plan was for one, and as a team, we're now on six, I think, I've lost count," Brennan said after the finish.

"We've won so many stages that we've gone for. We've really committed to the plan that we have. You've seen the boys all day today. If you've been watching at home, they just been pushing so much wind, and to finish off like that, with Wout bringing me across the line, basically in a perfect place in such a chaotic final, it was perfect.

"I really trusted Wout and followed his wheel all the way, and yeah, it's incredible that he can bring you in [position] in such a chaotic race."

Enric Mas was ushered to the finish by his Movistar teammates and finished safely in the field to hold the red jersey, with his GC rivals close by and no changes in the overall standings.

Sprinters survive challenge by breakaway and late split in field

Bright blue skies, light winds and temperatures of 32°C in Cortegana were a warm reception after the rest day, and the sprint teams returned to do battle against Visma-Lease a Bike for the reward in La Rábida, which was all downhill in the final 100km of the 181.1km route.

Five riders struck out from the peloton in the opening 20km and became the break of the day: Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ United), Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco AlUla), Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Simon Dalby (Uno-X Mobility) and Roland Thalmann (Tudor Pro Cycling).

All five were seeking a first victory of the season, but the allure of a flat stage with great expectations for a sprint finish saw Visma-Lease a Bike controlling the pace of the peloton, with Movistar tucked behind the yellow-and-black crew with the red leader's jersey on the shoulders of Mas.

The opening 80km rolled through the Huelva province, south-west of Sevilla, and the breakaway was allowed to stay away, the ambitious group getting a 2:45 advantage but no more.

Soon after the 100km to go mark, Timo Roosen (Picnic-PostNL) stepped off his bike and into the team car, as the rest day did not allow him enough time to recover from a crash he suffered in the second week.

The five scooped points at the intermediate sprint in Villarasa. With 68km to go, the gap to the peloton began to drop, now under one minute, unlike the temperature, which had tipped to 36°C. No clouds and no tree-lined roads made for a long day.

Visma continued to set the pace of the peloton, joined by Cofidis, as the race edged closer to the coast, Wout van Aert dropping to the team car to take on water bottles for his teammates. That scenario was replicated by all teams.

Pushing up one of the few rises on the course with 35km to go, the breakaway held a 33-second gap. Arriving at Palos de la Frontera, a glimpse of the Tinto river signaled the final 26km.

On a narrow, twisting street in the city, several riders crashed in the peloton, including Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility). The UAE rider was slow to get back on his bike, and Johannessen had got back riding as well, joined by teammate Magnus Cort who was held up by the crash. The Uno-X duo went to work to make up time from a split that formed in the peloton.

Once back onto wider roads sweeping to the Atlantic coast, the catch of the breakaway was made by the sprint teams. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe went to work at the front for a few kilometres, then Visma returned.

Crosswinds from the ocean were noticeable, though not overpowering, once the most southern point of the route went through Mazagón and a reverse of direction was made on the coast for the final 11km to the finish.

With 13km to go, Finlay Pickering (Jayco AlUla) dropped to the back of the peloton to make a bike change. He, and the riders who had been split from the front group, tagged back as one group as the sprint teams had not yet ratcheted the pace.

The peloton spread across the width of the road with 7.5km to go, Soudal-QuickStep, Vismal-Lease a Bike, Movistar and Netcompany Ineos represented front and centre.

Once through a roundabout with 4.5km to go, the pace increased. Uno-X Mobility moved to the front along the right side next to Visma, Cort visible after rejoining the peloton, as more road furniture created a wave of horizontal movements.

Visma never relented with the pacemaking on a few sweeping corners as the final kilometre approached, with the points classification leader Wout van Aert setting up his teammate once again for the team's sixth victory of the Vuelta so far.

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The multi-discipline giant who, as well as claiming the 2024 gravel world title, has another 13 elite world championships to her name, has chased the rainbow jersey in Australia before, coming close to capturing it on the road in Geelong in 2010 when she took silver, and she was 14th in Wollongong in 2022.

Her first time pursuing the gravel title in the nation will unfold in a familiar area, with the 39-year-old Dutch cyclist having come out to Australia multiple times to ride the Tour of Margaret River, which has passed through Nannup in the south of Western Australia.

"I want to go for the best possible result. Of course I'm dreaming of something beautiful, but I'm also realistic that it will be a challenge. I’ll give it everything I have and see what the day brings," said Vos in a statement from race organisers.

"I have such good and special memories of Western Australia, especially from the Tour of Margaret River, so it feels really nice to be going back."

The confirmation that Vos will attend adds another element to what has already been shaping up as a strong gravel field, with Sofia Gomez Villafañe among the early starters announcement, which sets up the potential for an intriguing competition between the dominant gravel specialist and the currently road-focussed master of multiple disciplines.

The women's elite race on October 10 will play out across 123.1km on a course that is more than 80% gravel and will deliver 3,100m of climbing spread across climbs race director Stephen Gallagher describes as Liège-Bastogne-Liège style – and that's a race where Vos has finished within the top 10 the last three times she has ridden it. The last of the climbs tops out at just 3.5km from the finish line.

"The landscapes look beautiful, and with so much elevation, I'm expecting a challenging and selective race. I'm looking forward to exploring the course myself," Vos said.

Her competitors will without doubt be trying to shed the Visma-Lease a Bike rider on the uphill sections as she's the type of rider that they won't want to be sprinting against should it come down to a small group. If Vos did manage to claim the victory, she would be the first rider to have claimed two elite victories at the event, which first ran in 2022.

Among the other riders who have already been named as expected starters are 2025 European gravel champion Erica Magnaldi, Oceania Champion Nicole Frain, a retiring Australian champion Tiffany Cromwell, 2023 Unbound 200 winner Carolin Schiff and fellow German rider Nele Laing who has only recently stepped into gravel racing but has made her presence felt with multiple UCI Gravel World Series wins and a third place at the Traka 200.

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The Australian climber last pinned on a race number on August 3, 2025, when she rounded out the Tour de France Femmes in sixth place overall. Less than two seeks later, she broke her femur in a training crash, and she has suffered a series of setbacks in her recovery from it.

After getting back on her bike during the winter, her comeback was initially scheduled for March of this year, then pushed back to the Giro d'Italia in May, and then delayed again when it emerged she'd need further surgery to correct the metalware in her leg.

Now, finally, she is back on a start list of a race, the Faun Tour, the hilly four-day stage race in France starting on Thursday.

"It’s been a long road back for her, and this is an important milestone in her recovery, so it’s only normal that she will start the race without any pressure”, said AG Insurance-Soudal sports director Dani Christmas.

Gigante will be joined in the AG Insurance-Soudal line-up by Megan Arens, the 19-year-old junior world time trial champion who will make her debut for the team after completing a shock mid-season transfer from Picnic-PostNL. Also in the squad are Lore De Schepper, Justine Ghekiere, Emma Siegers, and Urska Zigart.

“We are looking forward to a good race at the Faun Tour, where we are going with a really strong group of climbers ready to take on the challenges the four stages will present," said Christmas.

Gigante has not yet publicly spoken about her comeback but a social media update in mid-August suggesting she was on the right track and hinting at the toll the whole ordeal has had on her.

"Two surgeries, countless hours of rehab, and more postponed comeback dates than I care to count later… it’s been a pretty rough year," she wrote on the one-year anniversary of her crash.

"January became February, February became spring, and spring became summer. Watching the sport I love so much carry on without me and missing all three Grand Tours was hard, and wondering when and how I’d actually be able to race again, or when I’d finally stop limping, was harder.

"Thankfully, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the most amazing people around me, who love me for more than what I can do on a bike. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly explain how much that has meant to me this year.

"I’m just so happy to be riding pain-free again and loving it, and now counting down the days until I race again! Ditching the limp has been nice too."

Gigante has been no stranger to setbacks during her career, with several long-term periods of absence from racing due to illnesses and injuries, including iliac artery endofibrosis in 2024.

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Vuelta a España 2026 - Everything you need to know

Vuelta a España 2026 - Route

Vuelta a España 2026 - Contenders

Vuelta a España 2026 - stage 15 preview

How to watch the 2026 Vuelta a España

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Race Result

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Second-placed Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) is seen as more evenly matched in the discipline but Primož Roglič, who is close behind in third, undoubtedly has a significant edge in the discipline, and a history of making it count at the Spanish Grand Tour.

The four-time Vuelta a España winner in fact clinched his last victory at the 2024 edition by unseating Ben O'Connor in the 24.6km time trial.

That day in 2024 Mas, who finished third overall, was more than a minute slower than Roglič. Thursday's time trial on stage 18, however, is longer at 32.1km and that's not where the differences end.

"It is looking good," Movistar Director of Racing Matt White told TNT Sports after stage 15, with riders headed into a rest day before the final week of racing unfolds.

"I’m comfortable with the cushion that he’s got at the moment on especially Primož. We know that Enric’s time trialing is not his his forte, but I think we’ve seen probably the best version of Enric Mas, maybe ever, and I think you know Primož is in a good place, but it’s also probably not the best we’ve seen Primož over the last decade as well. So I think it’s a comfortable place to go into the last week."

Mas, who has stood on the Vuelta overall podium four times but never before on the top step at the end, headed in the final rest day with a gap of 2:06 to Gall and 2:10 to Roglič.

White said that is a gap that makes the team comfortable as they were factoring in a potential time loss of around 3 seconds a kilometre to Roglič while with Gall it may be a more even battle.

"He might not even lose time to Gall in the TT," White told broadcaster TNT Sport. "But Primož, I would expect he’ll definitely lose time. How much? Obviously we are guessing, but I would expect 90 seconds."

What's more, there is far more than the time trial ahead to challenge the GC riders in the week ahead, with an uphill finish on stage 19 and another day in the mountains on stage 20 with a challenging final climb up the Collado del Alguacil.

This is the type of terrain where Mas has already stretched his gap by just over a minute since stepping into the top spot at the race on stage 8.

"That’s why I think him being more than two minutes is comfortable because we’ve got two big stages post TT," said White, adding that Mas hasn't shown any weakness so far and he's traditionally a very solid rider in the third week.

"So I think we’re in a good place, but the race is far from over. But I would have been a lot more nervous if he had a 45 second, one minute, 1:15 sort of a lead."

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Both Blasi and García, who is 19 years the youngster's senior, were bronze medallists for Spain in Kigali last year: Blasi in the U23 road race, García in the equivalent elite event and they will likely be a formidable duo for Spain at this year's Worlds. As trade teammates at UAE Team L'IMAD, the two have had plenty of opportunities to race together, including at the Tour de France Femmes, giving them extra knowledge of their fellow competitor's strengths and weaknesses.

Spain's elite men's lineup is also a notable mix of youth and experience, with Juan Ayuso, 23, and Enric Mas, 31, offering multiple options for the road race.

However, there was no room in Spain's lineup for Alex Aranburu despite the Basque all-rounder taking a notable recent victory at the Bretagne Classic. Aranburu also holds some top results in previous editions of the Canadian WorldTour races, including eighth in Montréal last year and third in the same race in 2023.

National trainer and former World Champion Alejandro Valverde has instead opted for Carlos Verona, Raúl García Pierna, Ivan Romeo, Spanish National Champion Marcel Camprubí, Igor Arrieta and Markel Beloki to back Enric Mas and Ayuso. Romeo and Pablo Castrillo, both currently racing La Vuelta with Movistar, will also represent Spain in the time trial.

"It's a well-balanced team with riders for every kind of scenario," Valverde said in a Spanish Cycling Federation press release.

"Ayuso is the leader together with Enric, because it's better to have two options rather than one, and Enric is showing that he's going to be at the Worlds in very good condition after La Vuelta."

Whilst Ayuso's performance in the two upcoming Canadian WorldTour one-day races will be fundamental to judge his current form after a Tour where he began to fade towards the finale, Mas is leading the Vuelta a España with just six days left to race.

"We've got a great opportunity to do very well," Valverde said, indirectly referring to the absence of the arch-favourite Tadej Pogačar due to his crash and injuries in the Vuelta.

"We have to go out looking for every chance we can take, and it's a very open Worlds. Mas is in great shape, and he could be decisive in the critical moments."

In the women's race and since Kigali last year, Blasi has raised the bar on multiple occasions this season, as proven by currently ranking second in the UCI rider standings, whilst her win in Amstel Gold is likely a major source of motivation for the equally hilly Canadian World Championships course.

García, meanwhile, looks to be hitting great form with a second place recently at the Kreizh Breizh Elites Féminin one-day race in France. The 42-year-old also recently decided against retiring after this season and has extended her current UAE contract until the end of 2027.

Blasi and García will be joined by reigning Spanish national road and TT champion Mireia Benito, Usoa Ostolaza, Sara Martín and Sandra Alonso in the elite women's road race, whilst Blasi and Benito will also be taking part in the equivalent time trial.

"We're counting both on Mavi's experience, said national trainer Gema Pascual, "and on the breakthrough talent of Paula."

"Mavi knows what it means to get on the podium at the Worlds, and she's always prepared very well for these events, while Paula's doing an amazing season."

"Mireia, Sara, Usoa and Sandra are all great all-rounders, so we've got a very compact, cohesive block of riders. We'll have to make the most of it."

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She leads a strong Belgian contingent of six riders for the elite RR on Saturday, September 26, with Shari Bossuyt, Lotte Claes, Justine Ghekiere, Julie van de Velde, and Margot Vanpachtenbeke also selected by national coach Ludwig Willems.

"She is returning to the level of 2 or 3 years ago," Willems said according to Sporza. "She is ready to make a bid for a strong performance."

Despite her struggles in recent seasons with knee and back injuries and fatigue, Kopecky remains one of the top one-day racers in the world, and won't be underestimated by her rivals. But with all the climbing on the 180km route, even her team aren't calling her the top contender.

"Demi Vollering is the absolute top favorite, but Lotte Kopecky can certainly be placed just below her," said Willems on Monday, as reported by HLN.

Kopecky was recently forced to pull out of the Tour of Britain Women, but that was due to illness and not a longer-term problem. She got back to racing at the Molenbeek-Wersbeek national race on Sunday, where she finished 36th. Her top result from 2026 remains the victory at Milan-San Remo back in March.

It will be intriguing to see what role Kopecky plays at Worlds, against riders who on paper are better suited to the 2,502m of elevation gain and eight laps of the 13.4km punchy Mount Royal circuit.

The Belgian media were sure to emphasise that Kopecky's new father-in-law Eddy Merckx won his third world title the last time Worlds were held in Montréal in 1974. Kopecky has a chance to repeat that exact feat.

"We also know that Lotte can react very coolly. Deep down, she certainly dreams of it, but everything has to fall into place just fine," Willems said.

For the elite time trials on Sunday, September 20, Belgium will have Kopecky and Claes competing in the women's race, and Evenepoel, Segaert, and Rune Herregodts all taking on the men's event.

Belgium for the UCI Road World Championships Elite Women

• Road Race
  • Lotte Kopecky 
  • Shari Bossuyt 
  • Justine Ghekiere 
  • Lotte Claes 
  • Julie Van de Velde 
  • Margot Vanpachtenbeke
• Time trial
  • Lotte Claes 
  • Lotte Kopecky

U23 Women

• Road Race
  • Lore De Schepper
  • Febe Jooris
  • Tess Moerman
  • Fleur Moors
  • Emma Siegers
• Time trial
  • Febe Jooris
  • Luca Vierstraete

Junior Women

• Road Race
  • Yana Decruyenaere
  • Laura Fivé
  • Manon Mahy
• Time Trial
  • Laura Fivé

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Holding a 2:06 advantage over second-placed Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and 2:10 over four-time Vuelta champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Mas looked very relaxed as, for the second time in a week, he once again faced the media as Vuelta a España leader on another race rest day.

Six stages in the Vuelta a España now remain between Mas and the possible coronation of the 31-year-old as overall winner of a Grand Tour for the first time in his career. It follows four podium finishes in his country's biggest race, most recently in 2024 and for the first time way back in 2018.

The key obstacle would appear to be the 32-kilometre time trial in Jerez de la Frontera, given Mas' relatively poor performances against the clock over the years - and indeed, he was unlucky enough to lose the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in 2021 because of a very late puncture in the race's only time trial.

The question of how much time Mas can lose in the Vuelta's 32-kilometre TT in Jerez de la Frontera - the same city where 40 years ago, Alvaro Pino managed to win the race in a time trial against Philippa York - would seem to be critical, therefore. But in the rest day press conference at least, Mas' determination not to let the prospect of a key battle on hugely unfavourable terrain unsettle him was clear, too.

"This race isn't just about the time trial; the previous two days are very important as well and so are the two big mountain stages that follow," Mas said.

"The mountain stages are in my favour, because each day up to now I've gained time there.

"So I don't need to be scared of the time trial. This race is 21 days long and the time trial is just one; there are another 19 where I've benefited. So I don't think I should be scared of it."

At the same time, he recognised that Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) continued to be his biggest threat in the ITT of all the GC contenders, not just because of his capacity against the clock but also because of his deep experience and success rate, more than any other rider in the peloton, in the Spanish Grand Tour.

"He won a Vuelta just a couple of years ago; he's running third now, not 26th," Mas insisted. "You can't rule him out, and he's showing he's on a great level. What's more, he knows exactly how to win the Vuelta; he's won four of them."

Rather than feel concerned about what's coming up, Mas is simply going to take things as they come, to the point that he even said: "The truth is that nothing worries me" before instantly qualifying it by adding "Well, lots of things can happen in the race still, of course, but there's no point in thinking about that."

"I'm not scared of any stage in particular; all the stages have their dangers, and there can be all kinds of misfortune at any point. But I can't afford to think about that, because otherwise you wouldn't even go out on your bike.

"My team deserves a 10 out of 10 for how they've ridden up to now, too. They've always had everything under control. So as far as that is concerned, I believe in myself and what I can do, and I believe in the team."

Apart from Roglič, Mas recognised that other riders also posed a threat, most notably Felix Gall (Decathlon CGA CMN), but others further down the classification too. However, he insisted that the way his team have been handling La Vuelta up to now gave him a lot of confidence, even if he expected his rivals to throw everything they could at him in the final week.

"We have to reach the Alhambra" - Granada's world-famous monument - "in the same position as we are now and racing the race with that in mind. So if originally we thought about getting in breaks and going for stage wins, now it's all about controlling it as best we can.

"It's going to be a tough week, the opposition are going to race in a 'crazy' way, in inverted commas, and try to put us in a cleft stick. But we're being directed really well, and the riders are all feeling the benefit of that."

Following the Vuelta, too, and regardless of the final result, Mas has more objectives on the table for 2026, most notably the World Championships. He's widely expected to be named as part of the Spanish squad's lineup later today.

"The circuit is not quite as hard as the Gran Prix de Montréal, but it's not the bullet that kills; it's the speed, and I'm fully expecting a very close repeat of how Montréal normally plays out," he explained.

"I hope we have a good lineup to do a great race, and I would love to be part of it."

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Joining the two superstars on the start line on September 27 will be Tiesj Benoot, Quinten Hermans, Thibau Nys, Alec Segaert, Maxim Van Gils, and Gianni Vermeersch, with the latter two being trade teammates of Evenepoel's at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

With Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) not taking the start as a result of his crash at the Vuelta a España, it leaves Belgium as the likely heavy favourites. Evenepoel is a former champion from 2022 and runner-up last year, and Van Aert twice finished second, in Imola 2020 and Glasgow 2023.

"Pogačar's absence makes a big difference. It is a responsibility we cannot shy away from. In recent years, everyone has always looked to Pogačar, and he determined how the race would unfold," said Pauwels as he spoke at a press conference on Monday, reported by Het Laatste Nieuws.

"Even now, my conversations with Evenepoel and Van Aert were about how we can beat Pogačar. That is now gone, and our leaders fall into the role of favourites. We cannot ignore that, but we don't have to carry the entire race either.

"We have riders who can intelligently help shape the race to our advantage. We are not going to ride at the front for the entire race in a foolish manner."

Belgian teams containing Van Aert and Evenepoel have come unstuck in years gone by, notably at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Leuven World Championships in the same season. But since then, they have proved they can benefit from each other's qualities in pursuit of the biggest results.

Van Aert marked Mathieu van der Poel at the Olympics in Paris, allowing Evenepoel to come back and attack away on the flat en route to a famous solo victory. For Pauwels, communication will be vital to success come the big day in just under three weeks' time.

"The tactics are becoming complex, but I want to see them very clearly. We don't have earpieces, and that makes a big difference. With two leaders who both want to win themselves, the tactics need to be very clear," said the national coach.

"To be honest, I don't think it needs to play a role. The race and the circumstances will determine who becomes the lead rider this time and at what point in the race. It is about making good agreements that they can both agree on, regardless of what happened in the past. The most important thing is that they get along well now, which was still difficult in Leuven.

"I have already had a one-on-one conversation with both of them, but I have to go back to the drawing board after Pogačar's withdrawal. I then have to bring that together into a single plan that they can both agree on and finalize it."

In preparation, Van Aert is currently in red-hot form at the Vuelta a España, winning two stages, leading the green jersey competition, and leading out Matthew Brennan to three victories. Evenepoel will complete his final prep at the GPs Quebec and Montreal this Friday and Sunday.

Belgium for UCI Road World Championships Elite Men's events

• Road Race
  • Remco Evenepoel
  • Wout van Aert
  • Tiesj Benoot
  • Quinten Hermans
  • Thibau Nys
  • Alec Segaert
  • Maxim Van Gils
  • Gianni Vermeersch
• Time Trial
  • Remco Evenepoel
  • Alec Segaert
  • Rune Herregodts

U23 Men

• Road Race
  • Bert Bolle
  • Niels Driesen
  • Jasper Schoofs
  • Viktor Soenens
  • Matteo Vanhuffel
  • Matisse Van Kerckhove
• Time Trial
  • Jasper Schoofs
  • Matisse Van Kerckhove

Junior Men

• Road Race
  • Seff Van Kerckhove
  • Bas Vanden Eynde
  • Yasu Vervoort
  • Sander Willems
• Time Trial
  • Vic De Smet
  • Seff Van Kerckhove

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Saturday's event took place in wet conditions at times on a 54km loop, with the elite men tackling three laps and the elite women racing two laps of the terrain, which varied from wide, fast gravel sectors to more challenging forest roads. There was also a technical section early on that passed the moat of Voergaard Castle, which split the field.

Stokbro Nielsen claimed the elite men's race with a 50-second gap to Gustav Frederik Dahl (Team Give Steel) in second. He had sprinted to victory just ahead of Rasmus Bøgh Wallin (Team Cranks), who completed the Danish podium sweep.

Kasper claimed a solo victory in the elite women's race, with the German rider from the team based in Denmark crossing the line less than a minute ahead of Dutch rider Elisa Serné (KDM-Pack Cycling Team).

"Winning the UCI Gravel World Series race The Wolf in the very north of Denmark after 20 km solo in tough, wet and windy conditions. Exactly my kind of racing!" said Kasper in an Instagram post.

In third it was series leader Wendy Oosterwoud, putting another PAS Racing rider on the podium. Just outside the top-three was the first of the home nation riders, Klara Sofie Skovgård Hansen (Canyon Factory Racing).

The event's status as a UCI Gravel World Series race offered riders the chance to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Western Australia, which will be held on October 10 and 11.

It was an inaugural edition for the Belgian race, which was run across 160 km and 2,550 metres of elevation gain across the Ardennes hills.

Schreurs rode solo to win in 5:23:13 for her fourth victory in six GES starts, leaving Larissa Hartog (Canyon x DT Swiss ATR), Axelle Dubau-Prévôt (EF Education-Oatly) and Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing) to battle for the rest of the podium spots. The trio sprinted across the line 5:34 back, Hartog taking second, Dubau-Prévôt third and the former Unbound Gravel 200 winner was fourth.

"I felt good from the start and it didn't go super fast and I had a plan and I attacked after 55km on a kicker and I knew it would be fast after that. I thought I'd just put in a high effort and see if anyone could follow," Schreurs said in an interview put out on Gravel Earth series social media after the event.

"I quickly realised they couldn't close it so I just kept going and kept pushing and enjoying the course. It was great."

After sweeping the final competition in a trio of events – Oregon Trail Gravel, CORE4 and The River – Schreurs also won the pro women's title of the series with 210 points. Dubau-Prévôt was 31 points back in second and Hartog another 19 points back in third. Migoń, who won the GES in 2024 and was second last year, settled for sixth this year.

This is the third time in four seasons that Schreurs has finished in the top 10, going fourth last year and fifth in 2023.

European Champion Würtz Schmidt completed a run of five wins in five races in his series appearances to wrap up the men's title. At The River, he got away for a solo victory, like his teammate in the women's race, but not by as large a margin after illness hampered his run in to the event.

"Today was a bit unexpected, I got sick last week after European Championships and basically didn't train all week so I was 50/50 coming into this and I was riding a little bit more conservative and saving myself and not going my usual style," said Würtz Schmidt.

"Slowly I got better during the race and I could ride away, attack and win the race."

After Würtz Schmidt posted a time of 4:36:43, a charge of five riders followed three minutes later, Célestin Guillon (Gravel Nation) getting a late gap to go second and Nils Brun (3T Privateer) taking third ahead of Petr Vakoc (SK Velo Praha), Joel Suter and Nortje Tristan.

The two-time European Gravel Champion carried an impenetrable lead into The River, just needing to finish to take the pro men's title. His wins in the series included The Traka 360, contributing to a total haul of 220 points. Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation) edged Petr Vakoč (SK Velo Praha), 146 points to 140, for second place.

This year, there were 12 races in six countries where riders could collect points in the elite women's and elite men's categories of the series, with the top 10 determined from best scores at The River and three other events. Those athletes share in a €25,000 prize purse.

The River Results

Gravel Earth Series final standings

Speaking at the finish line after congratulating teammate Wout van Aert on his victory and cooling his face down with a splash of water, triple stage winner Brennan was outspoken about the brutal temperatures in Córdoba, which caused the Vuelta's organisers to remove 79km from the route the evening before.

"Well, I wouldn't do it again, but yeah, on here we have 41°C average," he said, looking down at his bike computer. "So that's the average; when I was on the climb at the start, it was 44°C. At that point, you start thinking, 'what are we doing?'" said Brennan to Eurosport.

"You know, a normal office person has to have their temperature set at 20°C or whatever, and I'm sure the people in the UCI office will have theirs set at 20°C.

"So when we are out there slogging away for their sake, I mean it's not great, but we do it… and that's the show we put on, but I think it wouldn't surprise me if there is a few bodies going home in an ambulance tonight with heatstroke."

Unsurprisingly, after the sweltering temperatures on Sunday, Brennan was most excited about the prospect of tomorrow's rest day, where he plans to do a grand total of nothing as he recovers for the final six stages.

When racing resumes on Tuesday in Cortegana for a likely sprint stage to La Rábida. Palos de la Frontera, Brennan will once again be expected to star, alongside Van Aert.

"Yeah, I do what I do best tomorrow, which is nothing, so I'm looking forward to that. Just lie on my bed, sleep, then the day after come up with a plan," added the young Brit.

"I think the boys are ready; we've got a lot of motivation from what we are doing, and what stage are we on? 15, so we've picked up a third of victories – why not go for more, why not go for 6 or 7 victories. We'll see what we can do."

In one of the most impressive Vuelta debuts in recent memory, Brennan has proved a true star of the race already at 21, and after the continuous displays of strength from him, Van Aert, and Visma's well-oiled stage-hunting machine, it wouldn't be surprising to see them win at least twice more in the coming days. He'll be desperate for the temperature to come down, though.

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After controlling the group for much of the last five kilometres, Van Aert followed an early sprint from Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek), then powered clear of his compatriot to take his second stage of the race. Alessandro Romele (XDS-Astana) overtook the Belgian to take second place, Nys finishing third.

The shortened stage was chaotic throughout, Van Aert’s team refusing to allow any breakaway to properly establish a lead, and the winning move only went clear on the descent from the last of two classified climbs, around 35km for the line. They then worked well to hold off a concerted chase for another group of 12.

With their five stage wins and the way they have controlled the stages they targeted, Visma-Lease a Bike have been very impressive at this Vuelta and Sunday’s stage was no different.

"We tried to surprise the bunch, we took control the whole day, and we were still there with a few strong, strong guys to help us," Van Aert explained.

"I knew people would not expect that we would choose the attack and I smelled the moment there on the intermediate sprint. With Matthew [Brennan] behind there was no risk at all to give it a try because we always had a good option in the bunch. That was how I like to race.

"It was a bit difficult," he said of all the attacks in the final. "My Belgian companions they were really strong and helped very well, also Romele from Astana, but I think Leknessund he gambled a bit for his teammate that was in the in the back, so we we expect an attack from him. But they started up quite late, in the last few kilometres, I just wanted to keep it together and make sure it was a sprint."

There was no change in the GC, as Enric Mas (Movistar) finished with his rivals 2:44 back in the peloton.

A short stage made for aggressive racing

Stage 15 might have started in Palma del Río and finished in Córdoba as planned, but extreme high temperatures forced organisers to invoke the Extreme Weather Protocol, and the day was reduced from 189.7km to just 110.2. This reduction also reduced the amount of climbing, with one of the slated third-category climbs removed. The race took almost the most direct route between start and finish, though with the searing heat the remaining 1,797m of vertical ascent would be plenty for some.

The race started in predictably hectic fashion, with plenty of riders trying to get up the road and every team looking to Van Aert’s Visma-Lease a Bike to control after the Dutch squad had already won four stages.

Eleven riders were soon up the road, and Visma allowed them their heads for a little while, letting them build ahead of one minute.

Frederik Wandahl (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Xabier Azparren (Pinarello-Q36.5), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ United), Ethan Hayer (Soudal-QuickStep), Andreas Leknessund (UNO-X Mobility), Rudy Porter (Jayco-AlUla), Alastair MacKellar (EF Education-EasyPost), Fabian Weiss (Tudor Pro Cycling), Reuben Thompson (Lotto-Intermarché) and Gijs Leemreize (Picnic-PostNL) were held at that one minute gap, though, Cofidis helping Visma with the pace setting in the bunch.

The leaders’ advantage never increased, though, the day’s first climb, the Puerto de la Forestal not helping, their lead dropping to less than 30 seconds over the top. While they were then allowed a handful of extra seconds, the gap remained under one minute.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG later upped the pace on an unclassified climb, stretching the peloton out and bringing the break even closer, and though they quickly sat up and melted back into the stretched out bunch, Michael Gogl (Alpecin-Premier Tech) launched across the gap. By the time the Austrian rider reached the breakaway, four riders had attacked clear, before Leknessund attacked that sub group and forged on alone, the rest of the race spread across the parched Spanish mountains.

The Norwegian rider crested the final classified climb of the day alone, though on the descent Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) caught him, but, with the peloton only 25 seconds behind more would follow. It was then that Van Aert bridged across and, with 30km to go, a group of five formed, Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) and Alessandro Romele (XDS-Astana) joining Debruyne, Leknessund and Van Aert.

For a while the race seemed to settle, the much reduced peloton replenishing drinks, but sure enough it didn’t take long for another group to attack with the intention of bridging to the leaders.

They didn’t quite make it though and, as the race descended towards the finish in Córdoba, they settled at one minute behind, with the peloton a further minute down.

The run into the finish saw the chasing group lose even more time, and with 5km it was clear the leading quintet would fight for the race win.

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The Luxembourg time trial champion went long to blast her way from a chase group to catch and swoop past Paula Blasi (UAE Team L'IMAD) and Célia Gery (FDJ United-SUEZ), who went second and third, respectively.

Blasi and Gery were the final pair from a trio, that included Rosita Reijnhout (Visma-Lease a Bike), who rode at the front of the race for the final 20km, only losing the chance for victory in the final 50 metres to Berton.

"Out of the last corner, we were maybe 50 meters behind the two [Blasi and Gery]. After the job the whole team had done all day, I knew I had to finish it off - there was no other option," Berton said in a team statement.

"So I started my sprint, because I knew I could get in the draft of the two in front. I used that to rest a bit, then did another kick to the line. And it worked. I think I was in the saddle almost the whole time - maybe out of it for three seconds when I was accelerating. When I crossed the line I was just like - what the heck?

"And then I was so tired, so I just went and sat on the grass and drank a lot of water. Then Cédrine came over and I started to realize it a bit more. Mostly I was just happy for the team that we finished it off."

Can the breakaway stay away?

The 129.5km Pro-level one-day race, part of the Coupe de France series, began in Ponte du Raz and was headed for the same finish line in Plouhinec from the day before. After a few false attacks, Megan Jastrab's (UAE Team L'IMAD) acceleration worked 50km into the day's effort, and she was followed by Amber Kraak (FDJ United-SUEZ). Sadnik (Visma-Lease a Bike) joined 2km later.

Fresh off a late move to join the breakaway on Saturday and finish sixth at the Finistère Ladies Classic, Kraak didn't wait Sunday. The trio charged on to make the first pass of the finish line, with six more to go, with 1:52 over solo chaser Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility), who was trying to get more than 10 seconds she had on the peloton.

The high pace from two of the three intermediate sprints, packed 12km apart just before the finish circuit began, saw the peloton's size reduced to under 50 of the 113 riders.

Each circuit was just short of 10km and included three sections of pave along the 4km climb with 4% gradient that led to the finish line. The trio held a steady gap on the next two laps.

With 28km to go, the gap began to collapse, now a peloton of close to 25 riders bearing down 25 seconds behind, EF Education-Oatly at the front.

The complexion of the race changed 5km later on the fifth full circuit, with the trio at the front replaced by an attacking duo of Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L'IMAD) and Célia Gery (FDJ United-SUEZ). They were then joined by four more riders - Gery's teammate Eva Van Agt, Longo Borghini's teammate Paula Blasi and Visma pair Rosita Reijnhout and a rejuvenated Sadnik.

Crossing the finish line for the final two passes, just 18km to go, Gery, Blasi and Reijnhout struck out as a trio. The soon gained 40 seconds on a splintered peloton.

Through the finish line for a final pass on the pave sections and back to complete the circuit, Gery, Blasi and Reijnhout held a 25-second lead. Several small chase groups merged and a pack of 15 riders went on a locomotive-style charge to close down that time, EF Education-Oatly and Cofidis with two riders each and Ma Petite Entreprise with three. The teams for the leaders had riders in the group as well, including Visma-Lease a Bike with Saturday's sprint winner Sarah Van Dam.

Sensing the rush of chasers from behind, Gery was the first at the front to accelerate just before the final cobbles, kicking up the dust and saving a chance at a first victory in the French champion's jersey. Blasi was able to work her way across, but the chasers were close by, just six seconds behind.

The French Champion worked with Blasi on the final kilometre, but it wasn't enough to hold off the charge from behind.

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Results

The Pinarello-Q36.5 rider attacked on the day’s final climb, riding alone to the win, finishing 12 seconds ahead of a six-man sprint from which Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) took second place while Anthon Charmig (UNO-X Mobility) was third.

The win will further boost Pidcock’s confidence with the GPs Québec and Montréal next week, prefacing a wide open Road World Championships.

“I came here to find my road legs again after being on the mountain bike, but it turns out they weren’t so bad," he said in a team statement Sunday afternoon.

“It was super, super hot today and we knew it was all going to be about the final climb. Normally after the Mountain Bike World Championships it takes me a little bit of time to find my road legs again because it’s a very different sort of effort, so I’m really happy with how I felt today.

“Quinten [Hermans] made sure that when people started attacking we were never on the back foot. He was always there at the front and was super strong, so I think we can be very happy with how we rode," Pidcock noted about teamwork, Hermans the next best Pinarello rider going 14th.

The first in a long series of Italian autumn classics started with this historic race which dates back to the 1970s. A second-tier 1.Pro race, the race attracted eight WorldTour teams, with Pidcock also on the start list representing Pinarello-Q36.5, one of the 12 second division ProTeams.

Starting and finishing in Larciano, the 196.4km route took in a number of loops around the Tuscan town. The first four laps were almost totally flat, while the next four tackled the climb of to San Baronto, with the final, shorter final loop took in the Mungherino, which topped out eight kilometres for the line.

Early in the race a nine man group headed up the road, establishing a gap of well over five minutes, however, the climbs and the distance began to take their toll on the leading group, with riders being dropped one by one.

The last of the breakaway riders were caught on the final ascent of San Baronto, a group taking a lead of 25 seconds across the line for the final lap. However, when that group was caught on the final climb, Pidcock attacked, taking a small lead over the top.

Sunday marked Pidcock’s first-ever appearance at Larciano, a race that began in 1977.

“If you want to win a race like this, that’s the way to do it – either from a small group or by going alone. It’s really positive to come here and win.”

Results

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Politt was part of a group of eight riders which formed when the race exploded in the Lammermuir Hills of the Scottish borders. On the windswept moorland between the day’s three classified climbs, all of which came within 20km of each other, first Netcompany Ineos then UAE put the race in the gutter, splitting the bunch.

With five UAE riders in that group, they controlled, and with their lead secure on two laps around the start and finish town of Earlston, they began playing the game on the final circuit. Politt escaped alone with 8km of the day to go and a series of counterattacks were unable to close him down.

Having survived one of those counterattacks, Florian Vermeersch took second place, six seconds behind him team mate, while Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos) won the sprint for third.

Wellens took eighth place on the stage, finishing well ahead of his nearest rival on GC, to secure the overall win.

For Wellens the win was another of a long list of successes which includes 42 other victories and the second of his year, after he won the Clásica Jaén in February.

"It was a very successful week," Wellens said. "We came here for the GC, and then today we also have this stage victory, so everything being perfect.

"To be honest, we just wanted to defend the leader jersey, we didn't want to attack, we didn't want to make a hard race. But then suddenly in the crosswinds Ineos started to ride very hard, we just followed. There was a gap, and then we just rode tempo with Mikkel [Bjerg].

"But the crosswinds was so hard that when Mikkel was riding the tempo, the group split again, and we were with the whole team in front, and then we continued full to the finish."

Wellens confirmed he will now head to Canada for the GPs Québec and Montréal, before returning to Europe to finish his season.

Crosswinds and Scottish hills

The final stage of this year’s race saw the peloton head further north, to the Scottish borders for a punchy stage starting and finishing in Earlston. After three climbs through the Lammermuir Hills in the middle of the 156.1km stage, the race returned to the start for two closing laps of 19.4km, both of which rolled but didn’t serve up any meaningful climbing.

After putting time into his rivals on stage 4, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) started the day in the overall lead, 21 seconds ahead of Lewis Askey (NSN).

Once again there was an aggressive start, though this time the breakaway was quickly allowed up the road. Within 10km of the flag being dropped Ben Wiggins (Team GB), Michal Sichuan (United Shipping), Jonah Killy (Tarteletto-Isorex) and Marcus Sander Hansen ( BHS-PL Baton Bornholm) led by more than two minutes.

With that lead established, Wellens’ teammates came to the front to monitor the gap, with sprinters’ teams Soudal-QuickStep and Decathlon-CMA CGM also lending a hand to keep the deficit on or around the 2:30 mark.

The break worked well to stay together onto the first of the day’s climbs, Redstone Rig, but the wind was howling across the exposed moors over the top, and Netcompany Ineos upped the pace. Not only did this cause the peloton to split, but the gap came down by a minute.

With the exception of Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling), the chasing group contained all top five on GC, leading to a concerted chase behind and a decent sized peloton formed. On Duddy Bank, the day’s next climb, UAE upped the pace, the peloton splitting once more, and with the breakaway by now only 45 seconds up the road, the race well and truly exploded.

The breakaway was eventually caught on the base of the third climb, Hardens Hill, a group of 11 forming. In that group, race leader Wellens had four teammates, Benoît Cosnefroy, Nils Politt, Florian Vermeersch and Mikel Bjerg, who were joined by the Netcompay pair of Filippo Ganna and Connor Swift.

Swift soon sat up and was dropped with Killy, slipping back to a group containing former race leader Askey, Daan Hoole and Olav Kooij (Both Decathlon-CMA CGM) and Jasper Stuyven (Soudal-QuickStep), all of whom were just over 30 seconds back, with just under 70km of the race remaining.

While that group expanded after the descent, at the front the UAE riders were assisted by Ganna, extending their lead to one minute, while Wiggins and Sander Hansen from the original break sat on. By the time the leading group reached the finish line for the first of two passes before the finish, their lead had grown to 1:20 on the chasing group of 16.

This lead remained unchanged the next time around, and the race remained in the balance, especially when they lost a handful of seconds on the early part of the final lap. However, an attack from Politt with 9km left saw the leading group break up, with Wiggins, Cosnefroy, Vermeersch and Sander Hansen chasing, though the German was never going to be caught by his own teammates.

Behind them, the chasing group began to close the gap, but Wellens’ overall victory was already assured.

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Vuelta a España 2026 - Everything you need to know

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Vuelta a España 2026 - Contenders

Vuelta a España 2026 - stage 15 preview

How to watch the 2026 Vuelta a España

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Race Result

Vuelta a España: Wout van Aert wins stage 15 from a five-rider breakaway

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But after 14 stages of the 2026 race, Spain is continuing to believe in Enric Mas, who, yes, inherited the jersey rather than specifically earning it, but has more than proved a worthy leader since he refused to wear it on the podium in Xeraco after Tadej Pogačar crashed out on stage 8.

Three big GC days of racing have come since – the kind of days where in the past you would expect Mas to underperform on at least one of, where a rival would scorch ahead of him as he folded back into the role of deuteragonist – but on each occasion, Mas hasn't just passed the test and survived; he's been the strongest.

Try as Felix Gall might continue to do, rated as the second-strongest climber before the race having finished runner-up in the Giro d'Italia behind Jonas Vingegaard, the Austrian has had no answer for Mas.

At the Alto de Aitana, Gall's Decathlon team set a violent tempo to bring the race back to the overall contenders, only for Mas to leave him behind. Last Thursday at Calar Alto, it was very much a case of déjà vu: Decathlon whittled things down with their strength in numbers, but Mas countered and gained more time.

Assured, punchy, superior, and in control are words which, in Vueltas gone by, you would associate best with four-time winner, Primoz Roglic, but even he – the rider who has long been a thorn in Mas' side when it comes to pursuing red – is losing time at every opportunity.

Mas has taken ownership of those adjectives and is doing to Roglič what seemed unthinkable. For years, the finales of many of the Vuelta's hardest climbs would witness a 'Roglification', a term coined by journalist Daniel Friebe for when the Slovenian would get his team to control the race before he ruthlessly burned his rivals, including Mas on several occasions, away on the final ramps of a climb.

But there has been no latest example of the like to talk about yet at this ongoing Vuelta; Mas is far and away the punchiest of the top GC favourites, which his surprising bridge across to Pogačar on stage 6 highlighted best, and he backed up on stage 14.

After his Movistar team had controlled the day well and the GC fight started to unfold up to Sierra de La Pandera, Mas opted to mark the moves that came from Richard Carapaz and Gall, who tried only a few big attacks instead of trying to slowly grind down his competitors as he had in previous days.

But even his most well-timed acceleration was easily responded to by Mas, who expeditiously closed the gap. Gall had fired his best shot, but the race leader was never in trouble; in fact, the situation was about to get better for him.

For the second GC day running, Movistar had got their tactics perfect when it came to breakaway formation, with the same characters who got up the road and provided the ideal assist en route to Calar Alto also finding themselves with a big role to play to Pandera: Pablo Castrillo and Raul Garcia Pierna.

Movistar didn't arrive at this Vuelta with a star-studded team by any means, but there can be no questions asked of the riders who are supporting Mas. The other standout has been 23-year-old former national champion Ivan Romeo, who has got through a mountain of work on the front, seemingly leading Mas onto the climbs and having enough in the tank to control the lower slopes.

With the break several minutes up the road on stage 14, Castrillo was the first to be caught up by Mas in the group of favourites, upping the pace for his leader and providing sustenance, but it was Garcia Pierna who played a starring role in support. Caught by Mas, Gall, Roglič, and Carapaz in the final 2km, he got on the front and put in one last pull to distance the four-time winner and his Ecuadorian former teammate.

Gall pushed on to overtake Roglič overall and jump into second, taking Mas with him as he moved further ahead in the lead as the second week nears its conclusion. What was a 1:00 lead from second place when he inherited it ahead of stage 10 has grown out to 2:06 in the five stages since.

History not on Mas' side

Three more guaranteed GC showdowns remain in the third week for the leader to navigate, and while anything but him extending his lead seems unlikely given how the second week has played out, it's the business end of things where Mas has long failed to deliver in his career.

A top climber throughout his career, he's only ever won one WorldTour GC title, at the Tour of Guangxi in 2019. And in the 13 stage races both he and Roglič have finished, Mas has never beaten the Slovenian.

History says Mas won't win this Vuelta, but thankfully for him, it's not the palmarès of his long-term rival that he is racing. But that doesn't mean you can, nor should, count out the wily Red Bull racer.

On paper, a more than two-minute lead should feel more comfortable than it does for Spain's hopes, but the stage 18 time trial remains the factor causing concern. It's a discipline which Mas has long been inferior at, especially compared to Roglič, but he can count on the fact that Gall similarly doesn't excel against the clock, so it will be his old rival he has to keep an eye on.

It's been the question posed to both of them ever since Mas went into red. Does he have enough time? Is 1:18 enough? Is 1:45 enough? And now, is 2:10 enough to hold off red being snatched from him before the final mountain stages?

The record books again point to Roglič definitely having the upper hand next Thursday. 22 times they have raced time trials against each other as professionals, and on 22 occasions Mas has lost out.

But what can't be underestimated is that last 25 seconds he gained on yesterday's stage, pulling his advantage out past the two-minute mark, a huge psychological win for Mas, who even on his worst day on the TT bike, should be able to hold onto red heading into the brutal final weekend.

Roglič and Mas last raced over a time trial of similar distance at last year's Tour de France into Caen, and the time gap between the two was 1:38, but the Slovenian's form does remain a bit of an unknown, having been hit by a driver and crashed amid his preparation for the Vuelta.

And even in his absolute pomp as a TT rider in 2021, when he became the Olympic Champion in Tokyo, Roglič's destruction of the final Vuelta time trial into Santiago de Compostela saw him beat Mas – who had second place secured and only had to survive the final day – by 2:04.

So in reality this current version of the pair looks set to have the distance between them narrowed, yes, but likely with Mas holding onto the jersey and psychological edge before Peñas Blancas on stage 19 and Collado del Alguacil on the penultimate day.

And even if Roglič was able to produce a vintage performance in the time trial to wrest back red, Mas could be confident in having the advantage once again when the road heads uphill, but keeping his head would perhaps be the most essential ingredient.

This Vuelta is far from done, and Mas still has three big tests to pass, alongside the threat of coming unstuck at any moment, highlighted all too well by Pogačar's crash, but for now, as the blazing heat continues to beat down on the riders in Spain, it's the home veteran who's in the driving seat to take it home.

It will take something really special to beat him, but as has proven true several times in the past decade, there's few things more dangerous to a rider's race leader than an underestimated Primož Roglič with nothing to lose

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The stage was originally slated to cover a 189.7km route between Palma del Rio and Córdoba, including three classified climbs and 3,500m vertical ascent, but with temperatures of 40ºC forecast for the stage, organisers have amended the route. The distance was cut to just 110.2km, and significantly reduced the amount of climbing.

"The decision was taken following the activation of the Extreme Temperatures Protocol," read a statement from the race organisation. "After a meeting involving representatives of the Commissaires’ Panel, the teams, the riders and the Vuelta management, taking into account all the considerations raised by the different parties and the weather conditions forecast for tomorrow’s stage."

Temperatures throughout Europe have been exceptionally high this summer, with a number of races affected by the weather. In July stage 9 of the Tour de France was shortened due to a red heatwave alert, while spectators were not permitted at stage three due to wildfires in the area. Those wildfires also affected the final stage in Paris, with emergency services required to attend rather be available to police the opening kilometres of the race into the French capital.

While it has been hot for the vast majority of the 14 stages of the Vuelta so far, extreme weather of another sort affected stage 3 two weeks ago, with a severe hail storm battering riders who eventually took shelter in a roadside hotel.

With Sunday's stage much shorter than originally planned, it will start later in the day, rolling out at 2:50 p.m. local time and the flag to signal racing to drop 10 minutes later. The race will follow the original route until kilometre 52, where the riders will turn towards the finish in Cordoba rather than head for the northern loop originally slated.

Enric Mas (Movistar) continues to lead the Vuelta, the Movistar rider finishing alongside podium rival Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) on stage 14, which was won by Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling).

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Brenner had been part of a huge, 45-man breakaway group which had escaped early in the day, and which had been allowed to compete for the stage by the peloton on a brutal day. As the group was whittled down on the final climb, a four-man group came together, the eventually German following a move by Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) in the final kilometre.

Buitrago came home second, consolidating his lead in the mountains classification, while Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana) was third.

In the peloton, the final climb proved decisive, with Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) gapped in the final two kilometres, losing time to Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and race leader Enric Mas (Movistar).

Mas continues to lead the race overall, 2:06 ahead of Gall, who moved head of Roglič, who lost 15 seconds on the day.

Brenner’s victory was only his second WorldTour win, coming hot on the heels of his GC victory at the Tour de Pologne last month. It was also the first Grand Tour stage win for the Tudor Pro Cycling team.

“I cannot really believe it,” Brenner said. “Until now I was not feeling like myself, and I was struggling with some sickness early in the race and had a crash. But I really wanted to show myself, but also my teammates who have been working really hard for me the whole time that I can be up there.

“Also today I had two guys with me in the breakaway that did a super job. On the final climb I could actually feel that I have the kick, and I felt better and better throughout the day, and in the end I started believing in it.

“I made the move, and Santiago passed me, but I could catch up, and then in the end I could beat him in the sprint.

“There’s not many cyclists who achieve a stage within a Grand Tour, and to add this to my palmarès is really amazing.”

Opportunities for attacks

For stage 14, the Vuelta returned to the mountains, remaining in Andalucía for a 154.5km stage between Jaén and Sierra de la Pandera, and with more than 4,100m of vertical ascent the day was sure to be another for the GC riders.

After a lumpy start, the route took the peloton over two second category climbs before the final first category ascent to the line, that final climb averaging 7.5% gradient over its 11.8km.

With the race heading uphill, the attacks came straight from the flag, mountains classification leader Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) one of those trying to get away. After a large group went clear on the descent of the day’s first unclassified climb, with 30 frantic kilometres ridden, a huge group of 45 riders finally went clear, building a lead of more than three minutes.

The Puerto de los Villares was the day’s first classified climb, the second category ascent averaging 5.5% over it 10.5km, and by the time the front of the race was halfway up, the Movistar team of race leader Mas had taken time out of a lead which had extended to over five minutes.

Over the top, the peloton trailed what remained of the breakaway by four minutes, but on the descent Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), the US rider quickly building a lead of over a minute as once again the peloton dropped back.

The second climb of the day, the Puerto de Locubín, began with 30km to go, by which time Vermaerke led by 1:44 with the bunch at 8:10. However, while it seemed the peloton might not take the stage, the American’s grip on the race was less secure, his advantage reduced as he reached the top of the climb.

Skirmishes on Sierra de la Pandera

The Sierra de la Pandera made for a brutal finish to the stage, the 11.8km climb averaging 7.5%, though with some significantly steeper ramps. However, Vermaerke reached the foot of the climb he was caught on the Muro de Valdepeñas de Jaén, a short town centre dig which has featured as a stage finish in earlier editions of the Vuelta.

With Vermaerke dropped, Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost) reached the base of the final climb alone, putting time into the chasing group, however, he was caught by Guillaume Martin (Groupama-FDJ United) with just over nine kilometres to go, the pair leading a large chasing group by 50 seconds.

However, they were soon caught by a group of others as the race entered a period of flux, the peloton now 6:30 down.

From the leading group Mario Aparicio (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) attacked, the Spaniard heading into the final 4km leading by 35 seconds from an expanded chase group, though he too was soon caught, Buitrago and Brenner going straight past. Buitrago then tried his luck alone, and when he was brought back, a group of four formed, with Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana) and Iván Sosa Kern Pharma).

In the favourites group, EF Education took to the front on the bottom of the final climb, setting a pace and suggesting a move from Richard Carapaz, who won the last time the race visited the finish climb. That move had to wait though, the peloton settling for a little while. Carapaz eventually made his move with around 4km to go, following a move from Mas and heading up the road alone.

It was not to be for the Ecuadorian though, he was eventually brought back by Mas, Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe), the race’s top four on GC coming together.

It was then Gall’s turn to go it alone, but Mas proved too strong, bringing his move back with Roglič, and when Mas was joined by his Movistar teammate Raúl García Pierna, who had been in the breakaway, the pace he set saw to Roglič’s hopes of gaining time.

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Results

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With 40km to go, Van Agt, Van Dam and Squiban were the first movers for a decisive break and soon joined by Williams and Lylyk.

Originally a group of five which Kraak joined in the closing kilometres, the final sprint was instigated by Williams on the far left side of the finish straight. Lylyk tried to move past on the right side, but Van Dam blasted through the middle and was the only rider to hold off Williams.

"This victory means a lot to me. I’ve come close to winning my first race several times, and today everything fell into place," Van Dam said in a team statement about her first pro victory.

"Last week, I made a mistake in the sprint at the Kreiz Breizh Elites Féminin and finished third. I’ve learned from all those close finishes, and today I was finally rewarded with a victory."

The Saturday UCI 1.1 opener for a weekend of races on the Cap Sizun peninsula in France, Finistère Ladies Classic began in Pouldreuzic. The northbound course along the Brittany coastline crossed the finish line in Plouhinic just 18km into the start, which then presented eight laps of a hilly 9.5km circuit.

Each clockwise lap included an uncategorised 1.5km climb of 4.1% average gradient, leaving 3.5km the finish line, with the final approach uphill as well. Six times on the circuit provided intermediate sprint points in Plouhinec.

Rosita Reijnhout (Visma-Lease a Bike), Solene Muller (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93) and Ema Comte (Cofidis) pulled away from the peloton on the opening laps. Once they were pulled back, another attack proved more successful by five other riders.

Once at the mid-point of the finish laps, Eva Van Agt (FDJ United-SUEZ), Maeva Squiban (UAE Team L'IMAD), Lily Williams (Human Powered Health), Sarah Van Dam (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Kiara Lylyk (Mayenne-Bonbana-MyPie) had a 30-second gap .

Once through the start-finish with three laps to go, a solo chase by Nikola Noskova (Cofidis) had her 30 seconds away from the breakaway group. The peloton trailed another 42 seconds back, with EF Education-Oatly taking over with the pacemaking.

The quintet stamped out a steady tempo and never saw Noskova get closer, as with two laps to go the peloton closed down her effort. The peloton hovered at a minute in arrears over the next 15km, no attacks launched from the group.

The breakaway group surged across the uphill road into Plouhinec for a ninth time all together, and in the closing kilometres Kraak joined the group after a long chase. The six riders would sprint for the victory, with the photo-finish going to Canadian Van Dam by the slightest of margins.

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Results