Enric Mas of Spain has won the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's three Grand Tours, riding for Movistar Team to a historic overall victory. He finished ahead of Slovenia's Primož Roglič and Austria's Felix Gall in the final general classification.
The win came after Tadej Pogačar, the five-time Tour de France champion, abandoned the race following a crash on stage 8, a stretch running from Pucol to Xeraco.
About 32 kilometers from the finish, Pogačar failed to spot an object lying on the road. He fell, sustaining serious injuries including concussion, a displaced fracture of his left collarbone and a stable fracture of his seventh cervical vertebra, known as C7.
Pogačar's Vuelta comeback
Pogačar had returned to the Vuelta a España for the first time in seven years, having finished third in his only previous appearance, in 2019. A win would have made him the ninth rider in cycling history to have triumphed in all three Grand Tours, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.
Mas dominates without a rival
According to the Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Mas achieved something that had seemed almost impossible, something few would have wagered on when Pogačar officially confirmed his participation in the Spanish race on August 22 in Monaco. The paper said it had appeared as though the Vuelta already had its winner from that moment, given Pogačar's presence in the field.
Mundo Deportivo added that once Pogačar withdrew, Mas and his Movistar team took control of the remaining stages. The paper said the Mallorca-born rider skillfully managed the moves of his rivals, Roglič, Gall and Ecuador's Richard Carapaz, wearing down their morale as the race went on. Rather than fading, Mas grew stronger by the day, extending his advantage and securing what the paper called a historic overall victory for himself and Movistar Team.
Mas's Vuelta history
Mas had finished runner-up in the Vuelta a España three times, in 2018, 2021 and 2022, and third once, in 2024.
