“I think he got a little angry” – Enric Mas links Tadej Pogacar’s latest Vuelta attack to Stage 6 surprise
CyclingFriday, 28 August 2026 at 20:00
Enric Mas believes Tadej Pogacar’s late attack on Stage 7 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana may have been fuelled by frustration following their unexpected battle one day earlier.
Pogacar already held a 3:34 advantage over Mas before the summit finish at Aramon Valdelinares, while the day’s breakaway had ensured that the race leader was no longer competing for the stage victory. That did not prevent the Slovenian from accelerating away from the other GC contenders during the closing kilometres.
Mas limited his loss to 16 seconds and retained second overall, but interpreted Pogacar’s decision to attack as something more than a routine attempt to collect additional time.
“I think he got a little angry with certain moments during the race and that’s why he attacked,” Mas told Teledeporte after the finish.
“Perhaps it was partly because of yesterday”
Mas suggested that Pogacar’s response may have been connected to the remarkable conclusion of Stage 6 on El Bartolo. Pogacar had attacked alone on the gravel section and believed he held an advantage of approximately 40 seconds, only for Mas to close the gap and pass him shortly before the summit. The visibly surprised race leader later revealed that he had received no warning over the radio that the Movistar rider was approaching.
The pair subsequently rode together towards Castellon de la Plana after Pogacar survived a major scare on the descent. Pogacar comfortably won the sprint, but Mas had become the first rider at this Vuelta to close him down after a decisive mountain attack.
“Perhaps it was partly because of yesterday,” Mas said when asked why Pogacar had again applied pressure despite holding such a commanding overall lead.
Pogacar offered a less emotional explanation for his acceleration. The Slovenian said Felix Gall had moved aside after setting the pace and that he had simply continued at the same speed before pushing harder when he realised the others could not follow.
Whatever its motivation, the move extended Pogacar’s advantage over Mas to 3:50. Roglic conceded a further 13 seconds and now sits exactly one minute behind the Movistar leader in third.
Mas refuses to become carried away by second place
Movistar nevertheless emerged from Stage 7 encouraged by their collective performance and Mas’s increasingly secure position behind Pogacar. “We’re happy, happy with the performance and happy with the team,” Mas said after finishing as the third of the leading GC contenders on the climb.
His advantage over Roglic gives Mas a meaningful cushion in the developing podium contest, while Felix Gall is another 11 seconds behind the four-time Vuelta winner. Mas is not treating those margins as established, however, with the first week of racing only just reaching its conclusion.
“Seven stages and a one-minute advantage over third,” he said. “There is still a huge amount of the Vuelta remaining. We haven’t even finished the first week, so we have to take it step by step.”
Read also
Pogacar’s latest acceleration has strengthened his already overwhelming position in red, but Mas has also reinforced his status as the closest challenger. The immediate contest behind the Slovenian now leaves the Spaniard defending a one-minute advantage over Roglic before Sunday’s summit finish on Alto de Aitana.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Wout was a monster today. I really thought his day would end after the intermediate sprint.DAS28-08-2026
- Does your nationality change depending on what login name you use?
Andrew28-08-2026 - Once again - How do you know, not assume, but know they were French? Were you there, did you interview them to ascertain their nationality? We do know that some people in the crowd were boo-ing but have no idea of their nationality.Andrew28-08-2026
- I heard a little birdy say before todays stage: "Tweet tweet... Tadej Pogačar will allow a break away today but at the end of the race he will still show Mas who the real boss is in this Vuelta....just for fun... tweet tweet !!!"PogiSloFans28-08-2026
- That performance by Mas was fantastic. WHAT a flex to overtake Pog on the peak of the climb, haha. Amazing.wrsty28-08-2026
- If this was known why did nobody in Ineos advice Onley to not follow Pogi attack and then he blew big time.abstractengineer28-08-2026
- Years ago the French booed Armstrong (before his doping scandal)... they were booing Jonas in 2024... now they're booing Pogi, because, I guess, he didn't gift Seixas a win.PogiSloFans28-08-2026
- So can you... shush... Capish?PogiSloFans28-08-2026
- I'm not that old, and also work out in the gym... they are still pretty hard... my cojones...PogiSloFans28-08-2026
- Hey Yankee, you're actually right, but I still have huge bollocks :))PogiSloFans28-08-2026
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