Movistar rider Enric Mas, 31, has all but secured overall victory in the Vuelta a España after surviving a challenging penultimate stage in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Mas spent most of the 186km stage in a group with Primoz Roglic, Felix Gall, and Richard Carapaz, the riders who could have challenged his lead.
Mas maintained control on the final 9km climb to Collado del Alguacil, protecting his 1 minute 37 second advantage over Roglic and even extending it by the climax of the stage. With only Sunday's ceremonial stage around Granada remaining, Mas is poised to become the first Spanish rider to win the Vuelta in 12 years, since Alberto Contador.
Veteran Mikel Landa of Soudal–Quick-Step secured a stage victory, his first in seven years, by powering up the Collado del Alguacil.