Five riders have so far managed to win at least one stage at the 2026 Vuelta a España across the eight stages actually contested. Briton Brennan, Norwegian Leknessund and Frenchman Coquard have celebrated their first Grand Tour victories in their careers, while Spaniard Mas has returned to claiming a stage in the home race eight years after his 2018 triumph.

Slovenian Pogacar deserves special mention as, before the crash that forced him to withdraw, he had secured three victories, reaching 38 stage wins in his Grand Tour career (of which 6 at the Vuelta) and climbing to sixth place in the all-time rankings. He also holds the season record with 22 victories in 2026.

The Vuelta will restart with Mas in the red jersey. Good news for the Spanish cycling movement, as the last Iberian rider to lead the general classification of the home race was Herrada in 2018 (for just two stages). For Italy, there have been only four top-ten finishes so far. The best result came from Vincenzo Albanese with third place in the fifth stage.

Source www.ciclopico.it - full article and other statistical curiosities at the link https://ciclopico.it/grandi-giri/la-vuelta/tappa-9-vuelta-di-spagna-2026/