“The race is open, but you don’t wish that” - Primoz Roglic remains in hunt for record fifth Vuelta after Tadej Pogacar exit as Enric Mas extends lead
CyclingSunday, 30 August 2026 at 18:29
Primoz Roglic heads into the first rest day of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana still firmly in contention for a record fifth title, despite Enric Mas strengthening his grip on the red jersey on the Alto de Aitana.
The four-time winner finished third on Stage 9, 12 seconds behind Mas and six behind Oscar Onley. Roglic briefly regained contact with the leading pair after Mas’s first acceleration, but was dropped when the Movistar leader increased the pace again inside the final two kilometres.
Including bonus seconds, Mas extended his advantage over Roglic to 1:18.
Yet the Slovenian’s position is considerably stronger than it appeared before Tadej Pogacar’s race-ending crash on Stage 8. What had increasingly looked like a battle behind the dominant world champion has suddenly become a fight for the Vuelta itself.
“The race is open”
Roglic appeared relaxed after finishing third on the hardest climbing stage of the race so far. “I’m super happy. I didn’t do much and it’s beautiful to ride a bike, outside in the nice weather. I’m happy,” he said.
Pogacar’s withdrawal has inevitably transformed the ambitions of every remaining GC contender, but particularly Roglic, who is chasing the outright record of five Vuelta victories.
He was nevertheless careful not to welcome the circumstances that had brought him back into the fight. “The race is open, but you don’t wish that,” Roglic said.
Mas increases advantage on Aitana
If Pogacar’s exit reopened the race, Aitana showed Roglic still has a significant challenge in front of him.
Mas did more than defend the red jersey on Stage 9. He attacked the leading GC group, dropped Roglic and Felix Gall and then beat Onley to claim his first victory since 2022.
Roglic nevertheless remains the Spaniard’s nearest challenger. Gall is now third overall at 1:39, with Onley fourth at 2:20 after his second-place finish.
There are still two weeks of racing remaining, and Roglic’s pursuit of an unprecedented fifth Vuelta is very much alive. But after the race was unexpectedly thrown open by Pogacar’s withdrawal, Mas used the first opportunity to increase rather than merely protect his advantage.
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- It’s a valid stance but by no means guaranteed, there are plenty of people who do not or aren’t interested to learn from what they would first even have to recognise as mistakes, look at humans (or simply history or families) as a whole. Also, I do not know of many employees who do not NOTICE or come under pressure from employers, that doesn’t mean they will crumble but of course they get influenced. As for doing what’s good for your athletes, you only have to look at the number of past players with problems to see how many didn’t have their best interests at heart. Also, HOW would Tadej himself know if he was ready, this is the guy who wanted to get up to continue racing. As soon as he feels CAPABLE he’ll want to go for it, like a drunk or tired person who wants to drive his car home, CAPABLE is not a valid appreciation of a global situation. Who should we pick as example, Lindsey Vonn perhaps? Who stopped her?Jumpyjohn30-08-2026
- I should have made it clearer. I thought you would understand the context. When I say luck it then functions as a metaphor when you compare misfortune or random timing to tangible physical forces, objects, or paths.Cyclingsbestfan30-08-2026
- Sorry but it’s not always about luck and it certainly doesn’t seem like it this time.Jumpyjohn30-08-2026
- How predictable. You keep moaning about people from other nations being biased concerning « balkan » riders but it seems you’re the only one with a nation bias. In any case, you don’t give much credit or respect to foreigners who support « your » riders and you don’t seem to realise that an awful lot of cycling fans’ favourite riders are not from their own country.. I am very happy that like in some other sports, most fans can keep nationalism out of their admiration.Jumpyjohn30-08-2026
- I take the stance that you learn from your mistakes. Gianetti is no different. Do you honestly think that Pogacar (now a multi millionare) is going to race before being absolutely ready and would be influenced in that decision by money or by Gianetti?Cyclingsbestfan30-08-2026
- That’s the thing about being in shock, your body and mind make you lose your senses and you imagine you can do anything.Jumpyjohn30-08-2026
- Mas should win but we need to keep an eye on the TT where PR could do what was done to him. Oh and of course, let’s not take anything for granted with fishbowl memoriy, until it’s a done thingJumpyjohn30-08-2026
- Am interested to get more of your insight on what you’re saying. I know from experience and logic that fractures CAN heal stronger (IF properly treated). On the other hand, there are also cases where fractures cannot heal properly and stay weak points or where another fall on a (maybe stronger) fracture creates a more complex fracture adjacent making it more problematic to heal. But my real concern is whether this stronger repairing applies to every type of bone as vertebrae are quite unique in that it isn’t really the bone that matters but the interaction of the ensemble with other parts. Ican even imagine that the change of size and shape of the new material vertebrae can have implications on the very sensitive surrounding tissue and functions. MVDP suffered pain for years that affected his performance though I don’t recall what his exact injuries and protocol were.Jumpyjohn30-08-2026
- Outstanding race. Mas looked good on that last climb. Onley my fellow countryman showed the he is a contender. Roglic unfortunately was distanced. He might still podium with any luck. He will need it though. Widar is looking like a find. He did a great ride.Cyclingsbestfan30-08-2026
- Yes he is a talent. MVP was out of luck yet again.Cyclingsbestfan30-08-2026
Loading
Write a comment