Vuelta 2018 Stage 20: Enric Mas bests Miguel Ángel López in sprint-à-deux, Simon Yates wins overall

The final mountain stage of La Vuelta comes down to a clash of youngsters. Enric Mas outsprints Miguel Ángel López at the summit of the last climb, Coll de la Gallina, while Simon Yates wins the GC. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 20th stage 2018 Vuelta a España

1. Enric Mas (spa)
2. Miguel Ángel López (col) s.t.
3. Simon Yates (gbr) + 0.23
4. Thibaut Pinot (fra) + 0.54
5. Rigoberto Uran (col) + 0.57
6. Wilco Kelderman (nld) + 1.11
7. Steven Kruijswijk (nld) + 1.15
8. David de la Cruz (spa) + 2.17
9. Nairo Quintana (col) + 3.09
10. Alejandro Valverde (spa) s.t.

15. Ion Izagirre (spa) + 4.58
16. Tony Gallopin (fra) + 5.08
19. Emanuel Buchmann (ger) + 5.31

GC after the 20th stage
1. Simon Yates (gbr)
2. Enric Mas (spa) + 1.46
3. Miguel Ángel López (col) + 2.04
4. Steven Kruijswijk (nld) + 2.54
5. Alejandro Valverde (spa) + 4.28
6. Thibaut Pinot (fra) + 5.57
7. Rigoberto Uran (col) + 6.07
8. Nairo Quintana (col) + 6.51
9. Ion Izagirre (spa) + 11.09
10. Wilco Kelderman (nld) + 11.11

11. Tony Gallopin (fra) + 12.10
12. Emanuel Buchmann (ger) + 14.06

Race report
Tao Geoghegan Hart is the first attacker on the Coll de la Comella, but he is brought back halfway up the 4.7 kilometres climb. KOM leader Thomas De Gendt is the first rider over the summit before a group with Bauke Mollema, Vincenzo Nibali, Nelson Oliveira, Michal Kwiatkowski, Dario Cataldo, Jesús Herrada, David de la Cruz, Gorka Izagirre, Omar Fraile, Nicolas Roche, Rafal Majka, Amanuel Ghebreigzhaber, José Herrada and Michael Woods rejoin him in the descent.

The front group leads the peloton by 2 minutes on the Coll de Beixalis. Ilnur Zakarin, Fabio Aru, Pierre Rolland, Winner Anacona and Jai Hindley leave the main group to try and bridge across to the leaders, where Mollema launches an attack 5 kms before the top. De Gendt overhauls him to pocket most KOM points. Mollema, Nibali, Majka, Woods and Kwiatkowski get back to him in the descent.

A group with Cataldo, Fraile, Roche, Oliveira, Ghebreigzhabier, Zakarin, De la Cruz, Hindley and Jesús Herrada rejoin the front group on the Coll de Ordino. Former race leader Herrada jumps off the front and he is the first rider over the top ahead of De Gendt. Meanwhile, Astana sets the pace in the GC group causing top 10 riders Tony Gallopin and Ion Izagirre to drop.

The chasers gobble up the lone leader before the second ascent of the Beixalis. The GC group tackles the climb 1 minute after the front group. Emanuel Buchmann is dropped on the lower slopes, while Miguel Ángel López accelerates with his team mates Fraile and Cataldo. They open up a gap, but just before cresting the Beixalis it all comes together.

Nairo Quintana launches an attack in the descent and López bridges across just before the second ascent of the Comella – this time from another side. Simon Yates and Enric Mas go after them to rejoin the Colombians in the descent.

The chasers hit the final climb, Coll de La Gallina, with a 30 seconds deficit. While Quintana waits for Alejandro Valverde, Yates is struggling at the front before he drops. Mas and López widen their lead to 1 minute over the group Valverde and Yates keeps trailing the two youngsters at 20 seconds during most of the climb. Valverde can’t follow the pace in the chasing group 5 kms before the top.

Mas outsprints López atop the Coll de la Gallina to catapult himself into second place overall. The Colombian finishes in third, while Yates – who crosses the line 23 seconds after the winner – seals his overall victory.

With Mas and López claiming the vacant podium spots, Kruijswijk and Valverde drop down to fourth and fifth.