Mas wins Vuelta's hardest stage, strengthens overall lead

Enric Mas won stage nine of the Vuelta a España, his first victory in four years, and extended his overall lead. He beat Oscar Onley in a sprint at the summit of Alto de Aitana, with Primoz Roglic finishing third. Mas now leads Roglic by 1 minute 18 seconds, with Felix Gall a further 21 seconds back.

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Mas's stage-nine triumph came on a brutally demanding route featuring nearly 5,000 meters of elevation gain, the race's toughest test to date. His decisive attack arrived with 3.2km remaining, initially drawing only Onley before Roglic briefly bridged across, only for Mas and Onley to surge clear again. The victory marks a dramatic turnaround for the Movistar rider, who had finished on the Vuelta podium four times previously but had not won any race since the 2022 Giro dell'Emilia. His only other Grand Tour-style GC