Stage 5 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, the first on Spanish soil, gave the sprinters a second opportunity to battle for the win though they had to earn it against the wind and over the day’s uphill sections. After 173.3 km from Falset, Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) doubled his tally after his first success he claimed three days earlier in Manosque (France). This time, he got the better of Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost) with perfect support from his teammates, including birthday boy Ben Tulett, Belgian star Wout van Aert, and luxury lead-out man Christophe Laporte. Three weeks after his 21st birthday, he became the youngest rider with multiple stage wins in the Spanish Grand Tour since Tadej Pogacar’s three stage wins in 2019. UAE Emirates XRG’s Slovenian leader navigated the stage to retain La Roja on the eve of a mountain showdown to Castello.
After Tadej Pogacar’s historic solo victory yesterday in Andorra La Vella, Stage 5 took place in Catalunya with a mostly flat stage from Falset to Roquetes, from Costa Daurada to Terres de l’Ebre (173,3km). The route featured 1,662 metres of elevation with a single categorised climb: Puerto de Paüls (cat. 3), to be summited as the race enters the final 25 kilometres.
In the early kilometers of the stage, Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) was the first attacker to open a gap. He pulled off a career defining upset in the 2026 Giro as he fended off the sprinters in Milan, and he hoped to repeat the feat in Roquetes. He was joined at the front by Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5), Stefan Küng (Tudor), Mattia Gaffuri (Picnic Postnl) and Diego Uriarte (Kern Pharma).
Their lead was up to 2’20” when Küng sat up and waited for the peloton paced by Visma-Lease a Bike and Netcompany Ineos. The tension was high early in the stage and the gap rapidly decreased to around a minute.
As the race reached the Ebro Delta, the tension increased. Visma-Lease a Bike and Netcompany Ineos upped the ante. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was also up there taking turns with his compatriot and teammate Mattias Skjelmose on his wheel. The breakaway riders were caught with 99 kilometres to go, and the peloton momentarily split before the calm returns.
Among the stragglers made their way back to the bunch, Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) attacked 15 kilometres from the intermediate sprint in Tivenys (km 114.7). Wearing the green jersey on behalf of Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates XRG), the British rouleur took 20 points 25 seconds ahead of the bunch led by Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) across the line.
Pedersen, Groves and Turner off the back
Onto rolling terrain, Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility) attacked with 44 kilometres to go. The Danish puncheur has two victories in Catalonia, including stage 2 of La Vuelta 23 in Barcelona. He opened a gap of 45 seconds but the peloton accelerated towards the categorised ascent of the day and Kron was caught as the road rises up the Alto de Paüls (cat. 3, summit with 24.9 km to go).
Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates XRG) led the way to the summit. Some 60 riders remain in the bunch, with contenders such as Mads Pedersen, Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech), and Ben Turner (Netcompany Ineos).
Van Aert and Laporte guide Brennan
Xabier Mikel Azparren (Pinarello Q36.5) tried to make the most of the twisty roads leading to Roquetes, but Wout van Aert and the rest of the field were vigilant. Visma-Lease a Bike controlled all the way to the final kilometre, where Van Aert and then Christophe Laporte open the sprint for Brennan.
Three days after his first success in Manosque, the 21-year-old British sprinter fended off Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) to double his Grand Tour tally: two victories in just five days. Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost) completes the day’s top 3 while Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates XRG) retains La Roja on thieve of another mountain showdown.
2026 Vuelta a Espana: Stage 5 Brief Results:
- Matthew Brennan (Team Jumbo Visma | Lease-a-Bike) @ 3h 47′ 02″
- Jordi Meeus (Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) s.t
- Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education First – EasyPost) s.t.
General Classification After Stage 5:
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) @ 11h 26′ 01″
- Primoz Roglic (Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) @ 3’21”
- Enric Mas (Movistar) @ 3’32”
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