Enric Mas surprises Pogačar after a comeback and a near-crash for the Slovenian, with it all decided in a sprint: La Vuelta 2026 stage 6 results

Tadej Pogačar won again in La Vuelta 2026, but this time it was not an uncontestable exhibition. The Slovenian attacked on the hardest section of the Puerto El Bartolo, left all the favorites behind, and seemed headed for another solo victory, until Enric Mas delivered a huge performance and managed to catch up to him from behind during the climb, something very unusual in recent times. Afterwards, Pogačar nearly fell on the descent, but managed to save the situation and ended up winning the sprint in Castellón.

Pogačar wins in Castellón after Enric Mas managed to catch him on El Bartolo

The sixth stage of La Vuelta, 177.4 kilometers between Alcossebre and Castellón, had been marked as one of the most unpredictable days of the first week due to the presence of the tough gravel section on the Puerto El Bartolo.

The breakaway took a long time to consolidate and ended up gathering 16 riders, including Wout van Aert, Ramses Debruyne, Pello Bilbao, Santiago Buitrago, and Andreas Kron. UAE Team Emirates-XRG never gave them too much leeway and kept the race under control, clearly thinking about playing the Pogačar card again.

The selection began to harden on the Alto del Desierto de las Palmas. Van Aert eventually gave way in the breakaway, and behind, UAE started to steadily reduce the gap.

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At the foot of the Puerto El Bartolo, the breakaway's advantage was already less than two minutes, and the outcome pointed directly towards the general classification men.

Pogačar accelerates on the steepest slopes

UAE prepared their leader's move again. Sivakov, Jay Vine, and Pablo Torres increased the pace until, about four kilometers from the summit, Pogačar took the lead.

The acceleration came even before the gravel section, on slopes reaching 18%. Felix Gall quickly fell back, while Oscar Onley, Enric Mas, Primož Roglič, and Richard Carapaz tried to hold on.

Shortly after, already among the breakaway riders, Pogačar accelerated again and definitively left all his rivals behind. The Slovenian also caught and passed Ramses Debruyne, who was the last survivor of the breakaway.

It seemed like a repeat of the script from Andorra. Pogačar alone, the rest without response, and another triumph on the way. But this time something very different happened.

Enric Mas achieves something very few have managed: catching Pogačar from behind

As Pogačar advanced through the gravel section, Enric Mas began to cut into his lead solo. The Spaniard had left Roglič, Gall, Onley, and Carapaz behind and was progressively closing in on the red jersey.

Upon leaving the dirt track, Mas already had Pogačar in sight.

The Spaniard ended up completely closing the gap just before the summit and even passed Pogačar to crest the Puerto El Bartolo first.

The image was particularly striking. Pogačar looked back in surprise to see that Mas had managed to return to his wheel.

It is not common to see something like this. In recent seasons, when Pogačar has launched one of his attacks in the mountains and opened a few meters, very few riders have been able to recover from behind and reconnect with him during the climb. Mas not only withstood the effort but managed to close a gap that seemed definitive.

It was probably the best sign of the Spaniard's level at the start of La Vuelta.

It's real. It's happening.

Enric Mas catches Tadej Pogacar, attacks, and takes the bonus. #LaVuelta26 #LaCasadelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/RErycxY76w

— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) August 27, 2026

Pogačar saves a fall by centimeters

The stage still held another moment of tension.

As soon as the descent began, Pogačar tried to maintain a high pace and put pressure on Mas. In a left-hand turn, the Slovenian entered too quickly, lost grip, and went off the road.

The bike began to slide, and Pogačar ended up on the grass, but managed to keep his balance and immediately return to the asphalt.

He doesn't fall even going off the road.

Pogacar's straight on the descent of Bartolo.#LaVuelta26 #LaCasadelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/SmKg1GiqRg

— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) August 27, 2026

The incident ultimately turned out to be a minimal scare, especially considering how close he was to a fall that could have had much greater consequences. His ability to control the bike and stay on it prevented a compromised situation from ending up on the ground.

This mistake and Mas's cautious pace allowed Roglič, Gall, and Debruyne to reduce the gap to about 20 seconds, although they never managed to make contact.

Mas forces Pogačar to risk victory in the sprint

Pogačar and Mas reached the last ten kilometers together and began to collaborate to keep their pursuers at bay.

The gap eventually stabilized, and both arrived together at the last kilometer.

Mas then forced the Slovenian to take responsibility and position himself in front, aware that his chances in a sprint were slim.

Pogačar left no room for surprise. He accelerated in the final meters and won clearly, achieving his third stage victory in this Vuelta.

Mas finished second with the same time after a performance that allowed him to challenge the leader in the terrain where Pogačar had seemed practically untouchable until now.

Behind, Ramses Debruyne delivered another of the great performances of the day. He crossed the finish line 46 seconds behind Pogačar and Mas, ahead of Richard Carapaz, Harold Tejada, Felix Gall, and Primož Roglič.

The day was much worse for other riders. Oscar Onley lost ground after initially trying to follow Pogačar, while Jarno Widar finished more than three minutes back.

The stage also saw the withdrawals of Joshua Tarling and Markel Beloki.

Stage 6 results of La Vuelta 2026

1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – 4:12:40
2. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) – +00
3. Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) – +46"
4. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) – +46"
5. Harold Tejada (XDS Astana Team) – +46"