Author: Reuters

• Movistar rider refuses to crack in brutal mountain test

• Would be first home winner since Contador ​12 ​years ago

Enric Mas all but secured overall victory in the Vuelta a España when he survived a brutal penultimate ⁠stage on the sun-baked slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The 31-year-old Movistar rider spent most of the 186km stage in a group ⁠alongside Primoz Roglic, Felix ⁠Gall and ​Richard Carapaz – the only men who could deny him the red jersey – and simply refused to crack.

Looking perfectly in control up the steep ⁠and winding final 9km climb to Collado del Alguacil, Mallorcan rider Mas comfortably protected the 1min 37 sec advantage he had held over the Slovenian Roglic after ⁠19 stages and even stretched his lead at the climax.

• Norway in mourning after death of King Harald

• ‘It’s only a small thing in the bigger picture’

The Norwegian Andreas Leknessund launched a successful solo attack on ⁠the final climb to the summit finish of Aramón Valdelinares to win stage ⁠seven of the ⁠Vuelta ​a España, ahead of his Uno-X Mobility teammate and compatriot Tobias Johannessen on a day ⁠when their country mourned the death of King Harald.

Leknessund made his move from ⁠a five-rider breakaway 7.5km from the finish at ​the end of the ‌149.8km ride from ‌Vall d’Alba, and pulled away to win his first ‌Grand Tour stage on his Vuelta debut.

• Slovenian powers to victory by more than three minutes

• Leader breaks rivals on brutal climb at halfway point

Tadej Pogacar arrived in red, lit the fuse on the climbs and turned stage four of the Vuelta a España ⁠into a private exhibition on Tuesday, powering away with almost 50 kilometres remaining to win alone in Andorra la Vella.

The Slovenian, bidding to ⁠complete his Grand ⁠Tour collection by ​claiming the Vuelta for the first time, attacked on the road to the second climb and quickly reduced a high-altitude battle into ⁠a one-man procession.

• Huge hailstones prompt organisers to act 15km from end

• Riders seen heading into hotel on route to take cover

A torrential hailstorm in the French Pyrenees forced the abandonment of the ⁠third stage of the Vuelta a España on Monday.

With 15 kilometres (9.32 miles) remaining of the 174km route ⁠from Gruissan to Font-Romeu, the ​skies darkened as the peloton neared the top of the Col de Mont-Louis and huge hailstones began ⁠bouncing off the tarmac and pelting the riders.