Vuelta a España stage 21 preview: Van Aert leads final fight for glory in Granada

There is just one stage left at the 2026 Vuelta a España, but anyone expecting the usual ceremonial procession followed by a straightforward bunch sprint may be in for a surprise.

The final stage begins in unusual surroundings, with the peloton rolling out from a Carrefour supermarket in Granada before heading towards the city centre. From there, the short 112km stage will initially give the riders time to celebrate three weeks of racing before the intensity rises sharply once they enter the finishing circuit, where there could be plenty of action.

Four passages of a punchy climb towards the Alhambra will spice up the finale, with the last ascent coming less than eight kilometres from the finish.

Enric Mas, meanwhile, looks all but certain to seal overall victory after coming through Saturday’s decisive mountain stage without a moment of trouble. The Spaniard even managed to put more time into Primož Roglič, leaving him firmly in control heading into the final day.

However, there is still some uncertainty over how the stage will unfold, with a majority of teams reportedly in favour of neutralising the final stage due to concerns over the technical nature of the Granada circuit.

With the battle for red seemingly settled, the stage win remains wide open. The sprinters have a chance, but the circuit also offers the classics specialists and late attackers a perfect launchpad for one final gamble.

Key information:

• Start: 16:20 CEST
• Estimated finish: 19:06 CEST
• Stage type: Flat
• Stage length: 112km
• Elevation gain: approximately 1,311m

Follow stage 21 live at Domestique with our live reporting.

Beginning at Carrefour Granada, the peloton will complete a loop through the surrounding area before reaching Granada after roughly 65 kilometres of racing, at which point the dynamics of the stage begin to change.

The riders will cross the finish line for the first time with 41.8km remaining before beginning a series of laps of the city circuit.

A key feature is the ascent towards the Alhambra, a partially cobbled climb of around 2.1km at an average gradient of 6.6 per cent, which will be tackled four times.

It's difficult enough to put the pure sprinters under pressure, but not hard enough to guarantee they will be dropped for good. That will ultimately depend on how the riders approach the finale, with teams forced to decide whether to control attacks or use the climb to launch moves of their own.

The intermediate sprint comes at the third passage across the finish line with 19.6km remaining, before the riders tackle the Alhambra ascent again, though Van Aert will likely have his priorities elsewhere.

A final passage of the climb follows with around 7.8km to go, leaving enough road for a chase to bring attackers back, but also enough technical and tactical uncertainty to give a strong move hope of surviving.

From there, the race drops back towards central Granada before the final run to the finish on Paseo del Salón.

• First passage of finish line | 41.8km to go
• Alhambra circuit | four ascents
• Alhambra climb | 2.1km at 6.6%
• Intermediate sprint | Granada | 19.6km to go
• Final Alhambra ascent | approximately 8km to go
• Finish | Paseo del Salón, Granada

Visma | Lease a Bike have been the team to beat when it comes to victories at this Vuelta, and that isn’t set to change ahead of the final stage. 

Wout van Aert has made clear his ambitions for this stage, and with two stage victories already secured, a hat-trick would be the perfect way to cap off his green jersey victory at the race. 

Visma also have the prolific Matthew Brennan, who has five stage wins to his name. If Visma are able to nullify any attacks, or even follow or make moves of their own, they will be a difficult force to stop. 

Other riders who will be banking on the race staying together for a sprint include stage 8 winner Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Vito Braet (Lotto-Intermarché), Hugo Hofstetter (NSN), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility). 

Other riders with a fast finish who could be in the mix or follow moves if things become selective include: Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), Axel Laurence (Netcompany-Ineos) Pau Miquel (Bahrain-Victorious) Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek), Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana), and stage 10 winner Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ United)

Finally, some of the riders who might try to go long with one final role of the dice include Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana), Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility),  Xabier Mikel Azparren (Pinarello-Q36.5), and Iván Romeo (Movistar).