There seems to be no stopping the Tadej Pogacar machine after the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider made it three stage wins in six days at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana.
But Pogacar was made to fight all the way by Enric Mas (Movistar Team) before eventually coming out on top in Castello after a brutal day of racing over the 177.4km route.
There was also a huge scare for the Slovenian on the final downhill run to the line when he was forced off-road after overshooting a corner, managing to stay upright and rejoin behind Mas.
It might have lacked the domination of his sensational solo victory on Stage 4 but it showed a different kind of Pogacar, who will claim a grand slam of Grand Tour crowns if he wins in Spain. His advantage in the general classification is now three minutes and 34 seconds overMas in second place, after the Spaniard leapfrogged Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) who is now third, 4:21 behind the leader.
“We had a plan to let the break go today, but it took nearly two hours to form a breakaway, so in the end we had less than half the stage to control,” said Pogacar.
“So Joao [Almeida] and Kevin [Vermaerke] did a great job to keep it together and then I could go for the stage with Jay [Vine] and Pablo [Torres] leading out on the climb and setting me up for a perfect attack.
“I was really surprised on the top [of the climb], he flew past by me like a rocket. I was not expecting it because I heard on the radio that I was leading by 40 seconds to the second chasers and there was no mention of Enric.
“So when he passed me I was a little bit shocked. I was sure he knew the downhill, and then I was just happy to be with him in the last 10 kilometres into the headwind because I had no water, it was nice to have a compatriot next to me.”
“Then in the end, I knew that I can beat him in the sprint, but I still appreciated that he committed full and I also committed full to the finish line. So chapeau to him, it was a great race.”
After seizing control of the race with a mountain masterclass in Andorra, Pogacar was content to sit tight for much of the day while his teammates calmly kept a 16-man breakaway within reach.
With the category-one Puerto El Bartolo looming, the gap to the leaders was trimmed to 1:27 with 30km remaining. Australian UAE climber Jay Vine then drove the pace in the bunch, steadily chewing into the advantage as the breakaway began to splinter.
Only seven riders remained at the front when Pogacar made his expected move with 3.5km to the summit. In a flash, what had once been a two minute gap evaporated.
As the riders hit the three-kilometre gravel section, Pogacar surged past Belgium's Ramses Debruyne (WorldTeam Alpecin–Deceuninck), taking the lead with 23km remaining and 2.5km from the top.
But Mas refused to play the role of bystander. The Movistar rider produced a superb response, overhauled Pogacar to reach the summit first and take maximum points, turning what looked like another one-man show into a proper fight.
The Spaniard then pressed Pogacar on the fast, technical descent towards Castello, where the Slovenian had a scare after drifting off-road before quickly latching back on to Mas' wheel. Their battle continued to the finish, where Pogacar had the sharper sprint to extend his overall lead.
“They say the heat suited me down to the ground, and that's exactly what happened,” Mas told reporters. “I did what I had to do, but Pogacar is just Pogacar.”
Stage 6 results
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 4:12:40
2. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) ”
3. Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin – Premier Tech) +46
4. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) ”
5. Harold Tejada (XDS Astana Team) ”
General classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – XRG 15:38:27
2. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) +3:34
3. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +4:21
4. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) +4:50
5. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) +4:55
