Mas wins Vuelta a Espana for maiden Grand Tour victory

GRANADA, Sept 13 : Movistar's Enric Mas won the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday to claim his maiden Grand Tour victory, becoming the first Spanish rider to win the race since Alberto Contador in 2014, while Tobias Johannessen of Uno-X Mobility won the final stage.

Mas all but secured the win when he survived Saturday's brutal penultimate stage in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where he established a lead of over 2 minutes ahead of Sunday's ceremonial final stage in Granada.

A three-time runner-up in the Vuelta in 2018, 2021 and 2022, Mas finally stood on the top step with the red jersey, claiming his first Grand Tour title on home roads.

He finished 2 minutes and 15 seconds ahead of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider Primoz Roglic while Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM Team came in third.

Mas had inherited the red jersey after overwhelming race favourite Tadej Pogacar's bid to complete cycling's Grand Tour hat-trick came to a painful end when he crashed out on stage eight.

Johannessen won the final stage — where the general classification times for the fourth and final circuit were neutralised — beating Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana) and Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) to the finish line.

Mas then finished with the bunch and crossed the line with his Movistar teammates by his side and the crowd roaring him on.