2026 Vuelta a España stage 9 preview | Without Pogačar, a gruelling stage suddenly offers everyone a chance

You have to earn a rest day, and the Vuelta a España takes that quite literally. Before the peloton gets to put its legs up for the first time on Monday, a grueling stage with nearly 5,000 meters of climbing awaits on Sunday. “One of the toughest stages of this Vuelta,” Tadej Pogacar has already said. After Pogačar crashed out of Saturday's stage 8, the Vuelta a España is suddenly wide open for the other general classification contenders.

Stage 9 of the Vuelta a España will cover 187.4 kilometers on Sunday, from La Vila Joiosa/Villajoyosa to the Alto de Aitana. With 4,952 official meters of elevation gain and six categorized climbs, a particularly grueling day of racing is on the schedule. Flat sections? They’re practically a luxury on this stage.

It starts almost immediately from the starting line on the Mediterranean coast. In the opening phase, the road constantly winds up and down, providing excellent terrain for a strong breakaway to form. After just under 30 kilometers, the first official climb of the day begins: the Puerto de Tárbena, 7.2 kilometers long with an average gradient of 5.4 percent.

It certainly doesn’t end there. The riders continue along roads that are familiar territory to many pros from training camps around Calpe and the Costa Blanca. The race will also take on the Coll de Rates—you know, the training climb where Pogacar and UAE invariably go in search of the Strava KOM during the winter. After about 70 kilometers, the race will then tackle what might just be the toughest climb of the day.

The Puerto de El Miserat is only 5.2 kilometers long, but has an average gradient of 10 percent. So early in the stage, it’s unlikely that any general classification contender will be going all out there, but the damage could already be significant at the back of the pack. For breakaway riders, it’s also an ideal spot to make the first serious selection.

After Miserat comes the Port de Tollos, which covers about 4 kilometers at a gradient of just under 6 percent. Next up is the Port de Tudons: 7 kilometers at a 5.3 percent gradient. On its own, this is all quite manageable for the better climbers, were it not for the fact that by that point, the altimeter will already have registered a few thousand meters of elevation gain.

The Puerto de Benifallim, at 4.8 kilometers with a 5.8 percent gradient, is the final categorized climb before the finish. After the summit, just under 50 kilometers remain, and the peloton can enjoy a relatively long descent toward the foot of the final climb. And there, the Alto de Aitana awaits.

Starting from the base, the final climb stretches for about 22 kilometers at an average gradient of 5.8 percent. However, that average doesn’t tell the whole story. The climb begins on the other side of the Port de Tudons and becomes increasingly difficult as it nears the summit. The gradients are particularly challenging in the final 7 kilometers, with long stretches around 8 percent.

This seems like the perfect terrain where fatigue, after nearly 5,000 meters of elevation gain, is mercilessly punished. The Vuelta last reached the summit of the Alto de Aitana in 2016. Back then, Pierre Latour was the strongest. Ten years later, the current general classification contenders have the chance to add their names to that list.

The weather on Sunday doesn’t seem likely to add any extra challenges to what is already a tough stage. Plenty of sunshine is expected along the Costa Blanca, with temperatures around 26 degrees at the start. Even higher up in the mountains, it will remain fairly warm and stable. The wind will be only moderate, blowing from the south.

Temperatures around the finish are expected to be around 24 degrees, with a southerly wind of about 10 to 15 kilometers per hour. So windbreakers or rain jackets usually won’t be necessary. Of course, the heat can be a factor after climbing nearly 5,000 meters in elevation: staying hydrated and cooling off naturally become a crucial part of the race on such a long day of climbing.

Anyone who watched Tadej Pogacar during the first week of this Vuelta couldn’t help but notice the Slovenian. The team leader of UAE Emirates-XRG has shown time and again that, on the climbs, he simply had an extra gear that the rest didn’t. In Andorra, he left his competitors minutes behind, and he also managed to win on the gravel climb toward Castellón.

However, after a bizarre crash, Pogacar is no longer in the race, and as harsh as it may sound, that opens up opportunities for the rest. First and foremost for Enric Mas (Movistar), who on Friday caught up to Pogacar on the Puerto El Bartolo and showed that the world champion doesn’t have to tackle every climb solo. A day later, on the way to Valdelinares, Mas was once again among the very best.

The first challenger is definitely Felix Gall. On the way to Valdelinares, Decathlon CMA CGM showed it wasn’t afraid to push the pace, and Gall was the one who launched the attack among the general classification contenders. Initially, only Pogacar and Mas were able to keep up. A stage with nearly 5,000 meters of elevation gain and a long final climb should, in theory, suit the Austrian even better.

Mas therefore deserves at least as much attention. The Spaniard knows these kinds of roads like no other and has reached a level in this first week that clearly establishes him, for now, as one of the top contenders for the podium. He may not have Pogacar’s explosiveness, but after such a succession of climbs, his consistent pace could actually be his greatest asset.

Behind them, Primož Roglič and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe are still waiting for the day when everything really comes together. The Slovenian has consistently lost time to Pogacar in the other mountain stages, and Mas and Gall have also made a stronger impression. However, writing off four-time overall winner Roglic in the Vuelta remains a risky move, especially on a final climb where the toughest section is close to the finish.

Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) are two riders for whom aggressive racing is practically in their DNA. Carapaz is now far enough behind that he’ll have to take risks if he still wants a serious shot at the podium—and perhaps even more... Before the start of this Vuelta, Kuss indicated that a stage win could be more valuable to him than finishing anonymously in the top ten. But is that still true, now that he’s in contention for the podium?

Oscar Onley also remains a rider to watch. The British rider from Netcompany INEOS didn’t start this Vuelta 100 percent fit, but after the first few grueling days, he’s still among the top general classification contenders. A very long climb with gradients around 6 percent usually suits him well, though the accumulation of elevation gain could work against him when the top riders really start to push.

And then, of course, there’s the breakaway—especially now that there won’t be a UAE team to control the race anymore. That makes riders who are ten minutes or more behind particularly interesting. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) already proved on Friday just how strong his legs are, although the Norwegian obviously expended a great deal of energy in the process.

Léo Bisiaux was also up front and may have a bit more freedom at Decathlon once Gall is taken out of contention for the general classification. Meanwhile, Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) lost enough time in the general classification to gain more room to maneuver down the road, and the same goes for climbers such as Santiago Buitrago, Jakob Omrzel ( Bahrain), Marco Brenner ( Tudor), Lorenzo Fortunato ( XDS Astana), and Carlos Rodriguez ( INEOS).

At the UAE Tour, Jay Vine and Pablo Torres are also names to keep in mind. The Australian has proven in the past that he’s excellent at finishing these kinds of tough mountain stages from a breakaway. Following Pogacar’s withdrawal, he’ll have complete freedom, as will the top Spanish talent, Torres.

Top Favorites: Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Enric Mas (Movistar)
Dark horses: Jay Vine (UAE Emirates-XRG), Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Long shots: Oscar Onley, Carlos Rodriguez (Netcompany INEOS), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Jay Vine, Pablo Torres (UAE Emirates-XRG), Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM), Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché), Santiago Buitrago, Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious), Lorenzo Fortunato and Harald Tejada (XDS Astana), Marco Brenner (Tudor)

Bram van der Ploeg ( LinkedIn | email: [email protected])