Tadej Pogačar wins Vuelta stage 6 after descent scare to extend race lead
Tadej Pogačar recovered from an off-road scare on the Puerto El Bartolo descent to defeat Enric Mas in a two-man sprint, taking his third stage win of the 2026 Vuelta a España.
Two-man finish in Castellón
Tadej Pogačar secured his third stage victory of the 2026 Vuelta a España on Thursday, beating Enric Mas in a sprint at Castellón de la Plana. The 177.5-kilometer route began in Alcossebre and ended with a winning time of 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 40 seconds. Pogačar attacked on the slopes of the Puerto El Bartolo climb, a 9.4-kilometer ascent averaging 7% gradient that transitioned onto an unpaved gravel surface. Mas caught the Slovenian near the summit and crossed the crest first before the pair tackled the technical downhill towards the finish line. Ramses Debruyne of Alpecin-Premier Tech secured third place on the stage, finishing 46 seconds back in a group that included Primož Roglič, Richard Carapaz, and Felix Gall.
Descent incident and chase
The race nearly turned on the winding roads dropping down from Puerto El Bartolo. Mas had reconnoitered the route and gestured with his hand at the top of the pass for Pogačar to proceed with caution. Pogačar attacked on the inside line a few turns later, lost grip, and rode off the asphalt into a grassy shoulder 19 kilometers from the finish. He unclipped a foot to brake, stayed upright at near zero speed, and returned to the road directly behind Mas. The two riders established a steady working pace through the flat approach into Castellón, holding off the chase group led by Roglič and Debruyne to contest the stage win.
- Josh Tarling abandons the stage.
- A 15-rider breakaway holds a 2:30 gap over the peloton.
- Tadej Pogačar attacks on gravel section and Enric Mas leads over the summit.
- Pogačar runs off the road onto a grassy shoulder and recovers.
- Pogačar wins the sprint against Mas in 4:12:40.
Standings and Grand Tour context
The victory stretched Pogačar's overall advantage in the general classification. Mas climbed into second place overall, trailing the UAE Team Emirates rider by 3 minutes and 34 seconds. Roglič dropped to third place in the general standings, sitting 4 minutes and 21 seconds behind his compatriot after starting the day 3 minutes and 21 seconds back. Oscar Onley lost more than 1 minute and 30 seconds to the overall contenders. Pogačar became the first cyclist to win three of the opening six stages at the Vuelta since Oscar Freire in 2007, having also won Stage 1 and Stage 4. Pogačar entered the race aiming to become the ninth male cyclist to win all three Grand Tours, following his 2024 Giro d'Italia title and his fifth Tour de France victory in July.
- Tadej Pogačar
- 0 seconds
- Enric Mas
- 214 seconds
- Primož Roglič
- 261 seconds
Early breakaway and Tarling withdrawal
The stage began with intense competition to establish an escape group before 15 riders broke clear and built a lead of 2 minutes and 30 seconds with 40 kilometers left to race. The peloton absorbed the remnants of the move as the race reached the lower slopes of Puerto El Bartolo. Earlier in the stage, British rider Josh Tarling of Netcompany Ineos abandoned the race with approximately 120 kilometers remaining. Tarling had placed third in the opening time trial behind Pogačar and Ethan Hayter, competing after his brother Finlay Tarling died in a vehicle collision during the Tour of Portugal.
Josh Tarling's brave La Vuelta has come to an end and he's decided to stop. We couldn't be prouder.
The peloton travels 149.8 kilometers on Friday from Vall D'Alba to a summit finish at Aramon Valdelinares for Stage 7. The 81st edition of the Vuelta a España concludes on September 13 in Granada.
