Paris Soir - Mas on brink of Vuelta triumph as Landa claims stage 20

Movistar's Spanish rider Mas is set to win his first Grand Tour on Sunday when the race arrives in Granada in the final stage, a largely ceremonial procession, with the overwhelming favourite Tadej Pogacar crashing out in the eighth stage while leading overall.

Mikel Landa claimed an impressive solo victory on Saturday, on stage 20's tricky 186.8 kilometre Andalusian mountain route from La Calahorra to Collado del Alguacil.

Mas lost a few seconds to Felix Gall, third overall, but leads Roglic by 2min 15sec, with the Austrian a further half-minute back.

The Movistar rider, 31, has finished as a Vuelta runner-up three times, in 2018, 2021 and 2022, and is poised to become the first Spaniard to win the race since Alberto Contador in 2014.

The Mallorca-born rider inherited the red jersey after Pogacar's dramatic crash but has defended it consummately since, holding off four-time winner Roglic and Gall's attempts to wrestle it from him.

On Saturday another Spaniard, Soudal Quick-Step's Landa, 36, secured his first victory for five years.

Mas broke away from the escape group to triumph after a tough season, while Tobias Johannessen and Ramses Debruyne completed the podium.

In the general classification battle Gall attacked on the final climb with Mas following quickly, while exhausted Slovenian veteran Roglic let them escape but managed to keep his second place overall.

American Sepp Kuss, who won the Vuelta in 2023, put in a strong performance to rise up to fifth from 11th.

Stage 21 on Sunday starts and ends in Granada, running 112km, starting in a supermarket and visiting the famous Alhambra palace.

H.Robin--PS