Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) secured his third stage victory of the race on Thursday, winning stage 6 of the Vuelta a España after surviving a scare that saw him veer off the road on a treacherous descent.
Pogačar Survives Near-Crash to Win Stage 6
The mid-mountain stage covered 177 kilometres from Alcossebre to Castellón de la Plana, featuring a final climb up Puerto El Bartolo that included a long section of gravel. Pogačar attacked on the final climb, but Movistar’s Enric Mas caught up to him, flew past the race leader near the summit, and led the descent. Pogačar outsprinted Mas at the finish line in Castellón de la Plana to extend his general classification lead.
Drama on the Gravel and Descent
Pogačar admitted he was surprised when his rival caught him. I was really surprised on top. He flew past me like a rocket,
Pogačar said. I was not expecting it because I heard on the radio I was 40 seconds ahead of the chasers and Enric wasn’t mentioned. When he passed me, I was little bit shocked.
During the narrow, roughly-surfaced descent, Mas gestured for Pogačar to take it easy. Pogačar soon used a bend to retake the lead, but quickly ran into trouble. Misjudging a jink in the road on a tight series of bends, the world champion headed off the drop into a thicketed grassy section. He managed to keep upright, came to a halt, and climbed back onto the road to rejoin Mas. The two riders worked together for the final 10 kilometers into the headwind, with Pogačar ultimately prevailing in the sprint despite having no water left.
General Classification Standings and Rival Shuffles
Following the stage finish, Pogačar leads the general classification by 3 minutes and 34 seconds over Mas, who moved up to second overall. Primož Roglič dropped to third place, standing 4 minutes and 21 seconds behind the leader.
Ramses Debruyne took third on the stage podium, finishing 46 seconds behind the leaders alongside a group that included Roglič, Richard Carapaz, and Felix Gall. Meanwhile, Oscar Onley dropped to seventh overall but retained the best young rider’s white jersey despite losing more than a minute and a half to his GC rivals.
Tragedy and Attrition in the Peloton
The stage also saw significant early attrition. Josh Tarling of Netcompany Ineos abandoned the race with approximately 120km remaining, with his team providing no reason for the withdrawal. Tarling had decided to race in Spain despite the death of his brother, Finlay Tarling, who died following a crash with a vehicle at the Tour of Portugal. Netcompany Ineos posted on social media: Josh Tarling’s brave La Vuelta has come to an end and he’s decided to stop. We couldn’t be prouder.
Riders continue on Friday with the race’s second summit finale, traveling 149.8km from Vall D’Alba to Aramón Valdelinares.
