Enric Mas extended his lead in the Vuelta a España by an additional 27 seconds on Thursday, as 20-year-old Slovenian Jakob Omrzel took a brilliant victory from the breakaway atop Calar Alto.First-year pro Omrzel was one of 30 riders in the day’s breakaway, and he was also the most dangerous, sitting 10th on GC, eight minutes adrift of leader Mas.With 11.7km to go, on gradients that averaged 10 percent, the Bahrain-Victorious rider attacked from what remained of the escape group. He reached the top of the 2,151m climb almost two minutes ahead of his fellow breakaway rider Urko Berrade.Mas launched his own stinging move around the same place that Omrzel attacked. He immediately opened up a gap of 20 seconds to Primož Roglič and Felix Gall, second and third on GC.Aided by his Movistar teammate Raul Garcia Pierna on the ensuing false flat that preceded one final steep ramp, Mas crossed the line 27 seconds ahead of Roglič and Gall.The Spaniard now leads the race by 1:45 from Roglič.Jacob Whitehead and Chris Marshall-Bell analyze the key storylines from today’s stage.Jakob Omrzel announces himself on the WorldTour stageThe parallels are unavoidable, but it is a disservice to Jakob Omrzel to place that pressure on him after the greatest day of his professional career.Nevertheless, the sight of the 20-year-old Slovenian riding clear up the famed Calo Alto, seven years on from a similarly callow Pogačar seizing his first Grand Tour stage victory, provide a resounding echo.His stage victory from the break was dominant and absolute; simply far stronger than far more experienced riders on the race’s hardest climb so far. He is now the second youngest stage winner in Vuelta history — 179 days younger than Pogačar. The time gap to second-placed Urko Berrade — one minute and 56 seconds — was massive.Born an hour south of his compatriot in Novo Mesto, close to the Croatian border, this is his first Grand Tour — a long-awaited debut given his junior record.Omrzel looks destined to be Bahrain-Victorious’ GC leader for the future and the now — with a palmares that already includes the 2025 Giro d’Italia Next Gen, 2024 Paris-Roubaix Juniors, and a highly impressive sixth place overall at this year’s senior Tour of the Alps, well clear of riders such as Tom Pidcock, Derek Gee-West, and Ben O’Connor.Omrzel reacts with disbelief as he crosses the line on Thursday’s stage (JOSE JORDAN / AFP via Getty Images)His Vuelta debut has already been active — finishing fourth on stage seven from the breakaway and predicting more was to come. The young starlet was right. He is now up to sixth overall, just 30 seconds off current white jersey Oscar Onley.“I’m not surprised because I know how much work I’ve put in,” Omrzel said immediately after the stage. “I knew this day would come sooner or later, but not 100 percent in my first Grand Tour. I felt super good, I still feel ok, I’m not tired, so I’m just enjoying it at the moment.”