Spain's Enric Mas extended his overall lead in the Vuelta a España with a late attack, while Slovenia's Jakob Omrzel celebrated his first Grand Tour stage victory on stage 12, finishing at Calar Alto.

Omrzel, just 20 years old, showcased his prowess by breaking away from his breakaway companions on the challenging 17km final climb, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of Urko Berrade, with Santiago Buitrago from Colombia claiming third place.

In a notable turn of events, Omrzel moved within 30 seconds of Oscar Onley in the best young rider's classification, capitalizing on a rough day for the Briton who suffered an early crash and fell behind his rivals, ultimately finishing over two minutes behind Mas and dropping to fifth in the general classification.

Mas, riding for Movistar, made his decisive move approximately 13km from the finish line on the mountainous 166.6km course. The four-time champion Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall, currently sitting second and third in the general classification, couldn't keep pace as Mas increased his lead by an additional 27 seconds on a day marked by intense heat and five categorized climbs.

Despite finishing sixth, nearly three minutes behind Omrzel, Mas solidified his overall lead to one minute and 56 seconds. This comes after Tadej Pogacar, who had been leading the Vuelta by nearly four minutes, crashed out on stage eight, resulting in a broken collarbone and a potential season-ending injury.

The race is set to conclude in Andalusia on Sunday, 13 September, with upcoming stages in the mountainous regions around Malaga and Granada's Sierra Nevada.