Vuelta a Espana 2024 Stage 21 LIVE – Primož Roglic set to seal Vuelta number four in Madrid, as Enric Mas and Ben O'Connor battle to decide the podium

1. Primoz Roglic 81'49'18
2. Ben O'Connor +2'36
3. Enric Mas +3'13
4. Richard Carapaz +4'02
5. Mattias Skjelmose +5'49
6. David Gaudu +6'32
7. Florian Lipowitz +7'05
8. Mikel Landa +8'48
9. Pavel Sivakov +10'04
10. Carlos Rodriguez +11'19

So the only change in the top ten is Skjelmose swapping places with Gaudu.

1. Stefan Kung 26'28
2. Primoz Roglic +31
3. Mattia Cattaneo +42
4. Filippo Baroncini +43
5. Mauro Schmid +46
6. Mathias Vacek +52
7. Victor Campenaerts +54
8. Mattias Skjelmose +1'02
9. Harry Sweeny +1'03
10. Bruno Armirail "

Roglic is second on the stage to increase his overall lead by 34 seconds. Sean Kelly is happy because he keeps his record number of stage wins in the Vuelta, even as he equals the record for overall titles.

A fine final stage after 20 very good ones. 10th today is well above expecations.

Not a bad result, but less than what he hoped for. 20th on the stage, 1'33 down on Kung.

Unless Roglic can find 28 seconds over the final section of the course, which I don't think he can, that elusive Grand Tour stage is set to be his.

He finishes 1'02 down on Kung, while the man above him in the general classification, David Gaudu, comes in having lost more than twice that. That puts the Lidl-Trek rider in 5th place overall.

He's slipped from 3rd to 6th in the on-the-road standings, but that won't bother him a jot. He's gained 20 seconds on the rival who matters to him the most.

LIPOWITZ GOING SLOWER THAN SKJELMOSE

So that should be the Dane secure in the white jersey. A bit of a breakthrough Grand Tour for him.

Knowing, realistically, that the former Olympic champion, who has won several of these in his career, is the only rider who can deny him. I don't think he's going to, though. At the first split the Slovenian is 13 seconds down.

He goes through the first time check in 2nd place, 11 seconds quicker than his main rival, so not just defending his position, but going better than almost anyone today. Crikey.

So that's not going to happen.

No doubt who is going to be standing on top of the podium in half an hour or so. He could win this stage, I think, but to do so would require him to go far deeper than he needs to. Had Stefan Kung not set such a strong benchmark you'd think he might but it would mean taking massive risks to go quickest today. Why would he?

What an amazing experience this has been for him. He fought tooth and nail to hold on to the race lead, and did so for longer than many predicted. If he can retain second spot I think he can take a great deal from this race, and into the next phase of his career with a new team.

This is one to watch. Mas has just 9 seconds to make up, which is perfectly doable, but he will have to ride better than the Australian against the clock, and Even though he was 13 seconds over O'Connor on the short course in Lisbon, I'm not sure he can. The longer one definitely suits the rangier rider a bit better.

As he sets out again, I'm betting not. I'd say it's been a bit of an underwhelmer from the Ecuador rider, considering his pedigree, but maybe he was riding it more for fun, friends and family than for results. 4th isn't bad, though, is it?

That's what he would need to take the white jersey, and move up one place in the overall standings. I think it's a reach but you never know. He's going to give it a good go, I reckon.

He also finished 9th in the 2019 Vuelta, which I'd probably feel he should have bettered by now, but he has been pretty exciting to watch in this one.