Roglič Vs Mas: Elbows out in fight for stage victory at La Vuelta | Video | Sticky Bottle

*Primož Roglič and Enric Mas went elbow-to-elbow on today's tight finish at La Vuelta, as the Slovenia took the long way around a bend and Mas seemed determined to pass him* *(Photo: Chary Lopez)*

The fight for overall victory at La Vuelta is shaping up as a head-to-dead between Primož Roglič and Enric Mas and both riders got up close and personal on the climb to the finish of stage 11 today.

Roglič (Jumbo Visma) prevailed to take his second stage win of the race, but only after appearing to take a very wide route through a shimmy in the road on the uphill finish, forcing Mas (Movistar) to fight for his position in the road.

The two riders were at the front of the remains of the peloton, which was being shredded behind them as the road kicked, and were waiting to pounce for the sprint as they neared lone leader Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo).

With about 600 metres to go, as one section of the climb narrowed into a much smaller stretch of road, Roglič drifted to his left a little. Mas was looking to pass him on the left and their elbows came out in the fight for position.

In the end, after brief contact between the duo, Slovenian Roglič powered up the incline to the line to win again, with Mas 2nd at three seconds and his team mate Miguel Ángel López in 3rd at five seconds.

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Magnus Cort was only caught with about 300 metres to go after he was the sole survivor from the early breakaway and went for the stage win with the same tactics that saw him win stage 6.

Unlike stage 6, when his solo bid from the breakaway just held off Roglic, he was swallowed up in sight of the finish line today. And once he was caught and passed by the front of the race, he faded to 25th on the stage, losing 49 seconds to the winner in just a few hundred metres.

Some of the other favourites finished just behind the top three - seven seconds down on the stage winner - including: Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana-Premier Tech).

However, Egan Bernal couldn't hold that group in the last uphill push to the line, finishing four seconds adrift of it; in 9th and 11 seconds down.

With him was the race leader Odd Christian Eiking, who placed 10th. The Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux rider defended the red jersey impressively on the short but full-gas final climb to the finish in Valdepeñas de Jaén after 133.6km of racing.