Vuelta 2026: Johannessen wins final stage, Mas seals overall

fotobureau Cor VosAfter a quiet start, the Vuelta signs off with a series of thrilling laps. Following the final ascent of the Alto de Granada, a group including Matthew Brennan heads towards the finish, but with just 2 kilometres remaining, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Alessandro Debruyne, Alessandro Romelo and Axel Laurance make their move. The Norwegian takes the spoils in the sprint, while Enric Mas seals overall victory in Granada. (Slideshow route/profile)

Stage 21 Results – 2026 Vuelta

1. Tobias Holland Johannessen (nor) 2:54:08
2. Alessandro Romele (ita) s.t.
3. Ramses Debruyne (bel) s.t.
4. Matthew Brennan (gbr) s.t.
5. Bastien Tronchon (fra) s.t.
6. Pello Bilbao (spa) s.t.
7. Finn Fisher-Black (nzl) s.t.
8. Axel Laurance (fra) s.t.
9. Pau Martí (spa) s.t.
10. Marco Brenner (ger) s.t.

Final GC 2026 Vuelta

1. Enric Mas (spa)
2. Primoz Roglic (slo) + 2:15
3. Felix Gall (aut) + 2:44
4. Richard Carapaz (ecu) + 6:54
5. Sepp Kuss (usa) + 8:45
6. Oscar Onley (gbr) + 9:28
7. Jakob Omrzel (slo) + 10:38
8. Clément Berthet (fra) + 11:41
9. Christián Rodríguez (spa) + 11:59
10. Harold Tejada (col) + 14:40

Race report
The stage comes alive on the second ascent of the Alhambra climb as Bastien Tronchon turns up the pace. Several riders go with him, including Matthew Brennan, and a breakaway group forms, also containing Finn Fisher-Black, Milan Vader, Axel Laurance, Thibau Nys, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Alessandro Romelo. Léo Bisiaux makes it across later.

Just before the riders tackle the climb for the penultimate time, the breakaway swells into a small peloton.

Pello Bilbao ups the pace on the ultimate asecnt. At the summit, Axel Laurance comes alongside, before Alessandro Romele, Jarno Widar and Tobias Halland Johannessen, Finn Fisher-Black, Pau Martí, Thibau Nys, Matthew Brennan, Bastien Tronchon, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Marco Brenner, Ramses Debruyne, Harold Tejada and Bilbao catch him on the descent.

Johannessen attacks with 2 kilometres to go, and Laurance, Debruyne and Romele jump across to him. The rest look to Brennan to close the gap. But if he takes too long, the escapees will be gone.

Laurance is struggling to keep up in the closing stages and, when Johannessen opens the sprint from a long way out, Debruyne has to let the others go go as well. Romele gives it everything, but lacks the power to come around the Norwegian.

The GC times had already been frozen at the previous finish passage. Enric Mas wins La Vuelta ahead of Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall.

Another interesting read: route 21st stage 2026 Vuelta a España.