Tadej Pogačar secured his third stage victory of the Vuelta a España on Thursday, outsprinkling Enric Mas at the end of a 177-kilometer route from Alcossebre to Castellón de la Plana. The UAE Team Emirates rider weathered a late off-road scare on a technical descent to preserve his dominance and extend his general classification lead at the Spanish Grand Tour.
Tadej Pogačar Extends Overall Lead After Stage Six Victory
Pogačar now holds an overall advantage of 3 minutes and 34 seconds over Movistar Team’s Enric Mas, who moved into second place overall. Primož Roglič sits third in the standings, trailing Pogačar by 4 minutes and 21 seconds.
Gravel Attack and Descent Drama
The stage featured a mid-mountain profile concluding with the climb up Puerto El Bartolo, which included a sustained section of gravel road. Pogačar launched an attack on the final climb, picking off the remnants of a 15-rider breakaway that had established a two-and-a-half-minute gap earlier in the day.
Although Pogačar initially drove clear, Mas produced a strong acceleration to catch the race leader, eventually cresting the summit ahead of him. As the pair navigated the narrow, roughly surfaced descent, Mas gestured for Pogačar to exercise caution. Pogačar temporarily bypassed Mas on the inside of a bend, but moments later, the world champion misjudged a tight jink in the road, veered off the asphalt, and came to a halt in a thicketed grassy section. He managed to keep his bike upright before safely returning to the pavement.
Pogačar missed a corner on the technical descent, going off the road before recovering to catch up to Mas,
according to Yahoo Sports.
Finish and GC Shuffles
After rejoining forces, Pogačar and Mas worked cooperatively through the final kilometers to keep their pursuers at bay. In the concluding two-up sprint in Castelló, Pogačar proved strongest, sealing his third win of the race following earlier victories on stage one and stage four.
A chasing group crossed the finish line 46 seconds behind the leading duo. Ramses Debruyne claimed third place on the day in a group containing Primož Roglič, Richard Carapaz, and Felix Gall. Oscar Onley retained the white jersey as the leader of the young rider classification, despite dropping time and slipping to seventh overall after struggling on the final climb.
Abandonment of Josh Tarling
The stage was marked by a notable withdrawal earlier in the day when Netcompany-Ineos rider Josh Tarling abandoned the race with approximately 120 kilometers remaining. The British rider had started the Vuelta just a week after the death of his brother, Finlay Tarling, in a crash at the Volta a Portugal. Netcompany-Ineos released a statement saying, Josh Tarling’s brave La Vuelta has come to an end and he’s decided to stop. We couldn’t be prouder,
as reported by The Guardian.
The race continues on Friday with the second summit finish of the event, taking riders 149.8 kilometers from Vall D’Alba to Aramón Valdelinares.
