From timing errors to poor pacing strategy to a super-strong rival, Tadej Pogačar has explained the combination of circumstances that led to the utterly unexpected scenario of his being chased down by Enric Mas (Movistar) on the Puerto de El Bartolo in the Vuelta a España.
When Pogačar launched his attack some four kilometres from the summit of the Bartolo on stage 6 just as the gravel sections were beginning, nobody in the main group of GC favourites expected to see him again.
Up until that point, it had all been very much business as usual. UAE Team Emirates-XRG had turned in a blistering pace on the approach to the key two final climbs, proving more than capable of keeping a 16-rider breakaway in check. And after teammate Jay Vine and Pablo Torres had delivered the final burst of pace on the Bartolo, Pogacar was ready to blast away.
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However, after storming past Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech), the last breakaway survivor, 2.9 kilometres from the top, suddenly things began to change in an utterly expected direction. The sight of Mas closing in on Pogačar sparked some rather partisan cheers from Spanish journalists in the press room, and when he overtook the Slovenian at the top, the cheering grew even louder.
On the other hand, Pogačar was more than able both to stay with Mas on the descent, stay upright in a difficult moment and then outpower him at the finish.
"It was an unexpected finale, and Enric fought one hell of a battle," Netcompany-Ineos sports director Imanol Erviti, a former teammate of the Spaniard at Movistar, told Cyclingnews, "but don't forget who won."
Indeed, Pogacar might not have his best day on the sierras of northern Valencia, but he and Mas still gained nearly a minute on all their rivals. The Spaniard is 3:34 down on Pogačar and even took the time bonus on the top of El Bartolo, but Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is now pushed back to over four minutes. All in all, if this was an unusual day for Pogačar, it certainly wasn't a bad one.
"I really didn't know Mas was there; I heard there was a group of favourites at 40-50 seconds behind, but I didn't know the climb very well, I think I paced it all wrong," Pogačar explained.
"Mas came to me just at the top, I was like - 'what's going on man, is this a spectator?'
"But I quickly realised, for sure he knows the climb, he put in a strong effort, so I immediately focused on him there."
"The descent was very steep indeed; I knew it was very dangerous and a shit road. But even when people tell you it's dangerous, it's not 'til you are there [that you realise]."
Mas made a small error, Pogačar said, something that could easily happen on a twisting, poorly surfaced downhill not designed for taking good lines and where it was necessary to brake hard, and that was likely what indirectly caused him to go off the road.
"I'm glad I stayed on the bike; it could easily have been a big crash for me, but I was happy to be back on the road, and that the speed was not full on then."
Even so, the two managed to reach the finish together after some excellent collaboration, where Mas barely disputed the two-up sprint and Pogačar was able to claim his third stage win in five days of racing. He also said that it was a good thing to be able to fight against a rival, rather than the usual solo, given that that added an extra dose of adrenaline to the scenario.
"It's a totally different feeling if you are alone, and you know in the last 30 minutes you are going to win," Pogačar explained. "Today was great because we both committed, we went all out, we got more time, and I did a good sprint in the end, too."
"If I remember correctly back in 2022, he won Emilia and then in Lombardia, he matched my climbing and then I beat him by a little bit in the sprint" - an almost identical scenario to stage 6 of this year's Vuelta, in fact.
"I think now in this Vuelta he's at a similar level like that; it's good to see him on this level, to be honest."
As for Pogačar himself, the sensation that he has the Vuelta totally under his control may have been dented slightly, but only by the smallest possible margin. Most likely all it will take is another knockout breakaway victory on Thursday at Valdelinares, and any brief doubts about his condition will once again quickly be forgotten.
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