TakeVueltalast week
Mas didn't defend the jersey on Alto de Aitana, he attacked it — going all-in with 3km left and taking only Onley with him, while Gall was left 34 seconds back with 500m to go. That's not a leader surviving the hardest stage yet; that's the biggest threat to red failing to answer when it mattered.
Gall's 1:11 deficit looked like a leader's gap heading into this stage. On the queen stage's final climb, Mas erased the ambiguity: he moved 3km out, Onley was the only rider able to go with him, and Gall was still 34 seconds back with 500m to go. Roglič tried to bridge and paid for it. Onley at least survived to contest the sprint; Gall didn't survive the selection at all.
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