Tadej Pogačar claimed Vuelta stage 6 on Thursday after Enric Mas refused to let his attack settle the race early.
The Slovenian won his third stage of this Vuelta a España, but not with his usual certainty. Mas chased back after Pogačar had opened what looked like a decisive gap on Puerto El Bartolo.
The Movistar leader reached Pogačar near the top of the final climb. He then helped drive the final 10km into a headwind before Pogačar beat him in a two-rider sprint.
Pogačar admitted surprise after the finish. He said Mas came past him “like a rocket” after radio messages mentioned only a 40-second lead over chasers.
That confusion nearly preceded a more costly moment. On the steep descent after the climb, Pogačar ran wide on a shallow right-hand bend. He veered onto the grass, kept control, and pushed his bike back onto the road.
Vuelta stage 6 turns into GC test
The 178km stage into Castello delivered a sharp change from the calmer racing one day earlier. The route packed more than 3,000 metres of climbing across four categorized ascents.
The hardest test came on Puerto El Bartolo, whose summit stood just 20km from the finish. The category 1 climb measured 9.4km at an average of 7 percent.
Its decisive section included nearly 2km of unpaved road averaging 11 percent. Several ramps rose beyond 20 percent through the upper half of the mixed-surface climb.
A strong 16-rider breakaway formed after around 70km and gave the stage serious weight. Wout van Aert made the move, along with Bahrain Victorious leaders Pello Bilbao and Santiago Buitrago.
Ramses Debruyne of Alpecin Premier Tech also joined the escape. He began the day 12th overall, 4:44 behind Pogačar, and threatened a major general classification move.
UAE Emirates-XRG then took control. Pogačar’s teammates lifted the pace inside the final 30km and reduced the gap before the last climb.
Pogačar made his move 4km from the summit. Oscar Onley was among the most resistant riders when the acceleration came, but the front group soon split.
Mas refused to fade. The 31-year-old Spaniard chased alone across the gap and joined Pogačar shortly before the summit.
Mas moves second as Kuss, Skjelmose and Onley lose time
The pair stayed clear to the line, with Pogačar saying he was glad Mas committed through the headwind. He also said he had no water during the final kilometres.
Pogačar trusted his sprint and delivered. Mas finished second, but his ride lifted him to second overall at 3:34 behind the race leader.
Primož Roglič of Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe slipped one place to third overall. He now trails Pogačar by 4:21.
Debruyne won the sprint from the chasing GC group to take third on the stage. That result lifted the Belgian from 12th to eighth overall.
The finale dealt a heavy blow to several podium contenders. Sepp Kuss, Mattias Skjelmose, and Onley missed the chasing group and lost 1:38.
Kuss, Skjelmose, and Onley now sit more than five minutes behind Pogačar. They also stand more than two minutes behind Mas after his determined ride.
For Kuss, the time loss may alter the shape of his race. His general classification challenge suffered badly when Pogačar forced the selection on the final climb.
The stage still belonged to Pogačar, but Vuelta stage 6 showed a rare moment of vulnerability. Mas could not beat him, yet he made the race leader work to the finish.
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