Tadej Pogacar recovered from a brief off-road excursion to outsprint Enric Mas and claim his third victory at this year’s Vuelta a Espana, but he was made to fight all the way to the line by the Spaniard on stage six.
After attacking on the final climb and rapidly establishing a handsome lead it looked as though the defending world champion would romp away to a trademark solo victory.
But, as the rest of the main contenders struggled in his slipstream, Movistar’s Mas reeled him in and overtook him on the final metres of the climb to claim maximum points in the king of the mountain’s classification.
The home rider then initially led down the final descent, at one point gesturing to Pogacar to take it cautiously.
But the six-time Grand Tour winner, who is chasing the Vuelta crown to complete the set with victory in all three of the sport’s biggest stage races, having already won five Tours de France and a Giro d’Italia, did not heed the warning.
He skipped past Mas on the inside at a corner and soon put distance between them, only to overcook it on the next corner and go into the small rocks at the side of the Tarmac.
His excellent bike-handling skills enabled him to scrub off enough speed to prevent a serious crash and he was soon on his way again, but he was content to follow Mas down the rest of the descent before the pair worked together to put time into the chasers, with Pogacar’s superior sprint securing him yet another stage win in his already glittering career.
The result means the 27-year-old’s lead in the general classification now stands at three minutes and 34 seconds, with Mas climbing to second overall.
Meanwhile, Welsh rider Josh Tarling, whose brother Finlay died two weeks ago at the age of 19 after a collision with a vehicle in the Tour of Portugal, abandoned the race with about 120km remaining.
“Josh Tarling’s brave La Vuelta has come to an end and he’s decided to stop. We couldn’t be prouder,” said his team Netcompany Ineos on social media.
Tarling produced a strong performance in the opening stage, coming third behind Pogacar and Ethan Hayter in an individual time trial.
