Vuelta a España 2026: Marco Brenner outsprints Santiago Buitrago on the Sierra de la Pandera, Mas and Gall drop Roglič
A 45-rider breakaway swallowed much of the morning on the brutally hot run from Jaén to the Sierra de la Pandera, and it was 24-year-old German Marco Brenner (Tudor) who came out on top: after Santiago Buitrago attacked clear under the flamme rouge, Brenner clawed his way back and beat the Colombian by a single second on the flatter approach to the line, for the biggest win of his career and Tudor's first-ever Grand Tour stage win. Cristián Rodríguez completed the podium. Behind them, the real fireworks came in the group of favourites: Enric Mas and Félix Gall matched each other's moves on the steep final ramps and rode clear together of Primož Roglič and Richard Carapaz, taking 25 and 31 seconds respectively — enough for Gall to leapfrog Roglič into second overall, with Mas's lead over him unchanged at 2:06. The full story of stage 14, the GC after fourteen stages, and a look ahead to the last breakaway day before the second rest day, in Córdoba.
A 45-rider breakaway in the Andalusian oven
True to the forecast, the heat was brutal from the gun in the hills above Jaén, and a huge group of 45 riders — including Marco Brenner, Santiago Buitrago, Cristián Rodríguez, Iván Ramiro Sosa, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Clément Berthet, Jørgen Nordhagen and Filippo Zana — rode clear inside the first half hour. With none of the escapees anywhere near the general classification, Enric Mas's Movistar squad was happy to let the gap grow to several minutes, saving energy for the two warm-up climbs and the brutal finish still to come.
The two second-category climbs along the way did their job, whittling the huge group down stage by stage, and by the foot of the Sierra de la Pandera only a handful of the strongest survivors remained together. On the murderously steep final kilometres — with ramps well into double digits — that group splintered further still, leaving just a small handful to fight for the win.
Buitrago attacks under the flamme rouge, Brenner pips him on the line
With just over 3 kilometres to go, Santiago Buitrago made his move, accelerating clear of the small lead group under the flamme rouge. Nobody could go with him immediately, and for a moment it looked like the Colombian — still chasing his first win of this Vuelta after so many near-misses — had done enough. But Marco Brenner refused to concede, clawed his way back onto the wheel, and then found another gear on the flatter final metres to sprint past Buitrago right on the line, winning by a single second.
It's the biggest win of the 24-year-old German's career, and the first-ever Grand Tour stage victory for the Swiss Tudor team. Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana) rode home alone for third, 11 seconds back, while further behind Iván Ramiro Sosa and Valentin Paret-Peintre completed a top five made up entirely of breakaway survivors.
The stage 14 result
1. Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling); 2. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), at 1 second; 3. Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana), at 11 seconds; 4. Iván Ramiro Sosa (Kern Pharma), at 14 seconds; 5. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), at 22 seconds; 6. Clément Berthet (Groupama-FDJ United), at 27 seconds; 7. Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma-Lease a Bike), at 39 seconds; 8. Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step), at 43 seconds; 9. Walter Calzoni (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling), at 1 minute 6 seconds; 10. João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), at 1 minute 9 seconds.
The general classification after fourteen stages
On the steep final ramps, Enric Mas and Félix Gall matched each other's accelerations and rode away together from Primož Roglič and Richard Carapaz, gaining 25 and 31 seconds respectively. That's enough to shuffle the podium places: Mas remains the leader, unchanged at 2:06 clear of Gall, who now moves up to second overall — swapping places with Roglič, who slips to third at 2:10. Carapaz is fourth at 4:24, ahead of Oscar Onley (+5:44), Jakob Omrzel (+6:14), Mattias Skjelmose (+6:49), Cristián Rodríguez — up three places to eighth thanks to his stage podium — at 7:01, Clément Berthet (+7:19) and Sepp Kuss, who rounds out the top ten at 8:55.
The other jerseys stay with their owners. Wout van Aert remains well clear in the points classification, and Santiago Buitrago's runner-up finish padded his advantage in the mountains classification further. In the young rider competition, Oscar Onley and Jakob Omrzel finished together again, so Onley's lead stays exactly where it was: 30 seconds.
Looking ahead: stage 15 to Córdoba, and more Vuelta reading
Sunday 6 September brings stage 15, the last day before the second rest day — a rolling 181.2-kilometre run from Palma del Río to the historic city of Córdoba, with a flat finish that could suit either a late breakaway or a group sprint. Check the route on our stage 15 page, or read our week 2 preview for everything else on this brutal mountain week.
Want to catch up on the rest of this Vuelta? Read our stage 13 report from Loja, the stage 12 report from Calar Alto, or the complete guide to the 2026 Vuelta a España.
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