Cycling
Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 20 Queen Stage Preview and Predictions
Stage 20 of the 2026 Vuelta a España brings a brutal 186.8km route from La Calahorra to Collado del Alguacil, and William Hill News are on hand with everything you need to know.
Saturday’s stage 20 is the queen stage of this year’s Vuelta, and the last real chance for the general classification contenders to shake up the podium before Sunday’s ceremonial finale in Granada.
Enric Mas took a commanding lead into the final weekend courtesy of Thursday’s time trial, but with almost 4,900 metres of climbing and an unprecedented summit finish still to come, there is plenty of scope for the overall picture to change one last time.
Stage 20 at a Glance
- Route: La Calahorra to Collado del Alguacil (186.8km)
- Stage type: Mountain, summit finish
- Elevation gain: Around 4,900m
- Final climb: Collado del Alguacil, 8.3km at 9.8%
- Date: Saturday 12 September
Stage 20 takes the peloton west out of La Calahorra towards Granada before the terrain turns properly hostile. The Category 1 Puerto de El Purche is climbed twice, followed by the first-ever Vuelta ascent of Puerto del Duque up to the Sierra Nevada ski station. From there it’s a short descent before the finishing test: a maiden visit to the Hors Catégorie Collado del Alguacil, arriving in the legs at their most fatigued point of the entire race.
Who can win it?
Sitting outside genuine contention for the podium’s top step, Felix Gall has license to attack early rather than mark his rivals, and he’s shown himself the strongest pure climber over the race’s closing week.
Richard Carapaz also has proven form on days like this, while Primož Roglič is also in with a shot if he prioritises the stage over simply limiting his overall deficit.
Prediction: Felix Gall to win Stage 20.
Gall has the legs to go clear on the Alguacil and, with little to lose in the GC battle, should have the freedom to ride for the stage rather than damage limitation.
General Classification Impact
Enric Mas heads into the weekend with a 1:37 advantage over Primož Roglič, with Felix Gall a further 1:24 back in third at 3:01, and Richard Carapaz fourth at 5:17.
Roglič should be able to take time out of Mas on the final climb, and he’s the man with the pedigree to do it, with three of his Vuelta titles having been built on days just like this one. But we still expect Mas to retain the red jersey and continue his flawless Vuelta record this year.
What to expect
With the GC battle now a straight fight between Mas and Roglič, expect Movistar to ride a controlled race until the Alguacil, at which point Roglič will have no option but to attack early and often if he’s to find the time he needs.
Gall and Carapaz, both realistically racing for the final podium spot rather than the win, could be the ones to benefit if the top two mark each other too closely, and either could yet fancy a tilt at the stage itself.
Gall gets our vote for the stage, while Mas should have enough in the tank to see out one final defensive ride before Sunday’s celebrations in Granada.
