“We heard a little bird say as much” - Tadej Pogacar’s Vuelta cannibalism sparks pre-stage discussion in the peloton
CyclingFriday, 28 August 2026 at 14:45
Tadej Pogacar’s appetite for victories was already shaping the mood inside the Vuelta a Espana peloton before Stage 6 had even begun.
The route to Castellon de la Plana appeared suited to a strong breakaway, with four categorised climbs and a 20-kilometre descent from Puerto El Bartolo to the finish. Riders interested in the escape nevertheless heard before the start that Pogacar intended to pursue another victory.
Andreas Kron was among those who attacked regardless. The Uno-X Mobility rider made a powerful 16-man move but spent the day with UAE Team Emirates – XRG refusing to allow its advantage to move significantly beyond two minutes.
Pogacar eventually caught the breakaway on the steep gravel finale, survived a major scare on the descent and beat Enric Mas in the sprint. It was his third victory from the opening six stages and continued his perfect record whenever he had seriously contested a stage win at this Vuelta.
Word spreads before the stage
Many riders had identified Stage 6 as one of the first realistic opportunities for a breakaway to reach the finish. The fight to establish that move consequently lasted for more than 80 kilometres.
Kron eventually reached the front alongside Wout van Aert, Pello Bilbao, Santiago Buitrago, Ramses Debruyne and ten other riders. The quality of the group suggested it could decide the stage, but UAE immediately began restricting its advantage. “I think it was because Tadej wanted to win,” Kron told TV 2 Sport after the stage. “We heard a little bird say as much at the start. But you have to try. I was closer today than I was yesterday.”
The Dane remained near the front deep into the decisive climb. Pogacar attacked with four kilometres remaining to the summit and began passing the escapees one by one, with Kron the second-to-last member of the breakaway to be caught before Debruyne. “I’m satisfied with the day and happy with the legs I had,” said Kron, who eventually finished 13th.
Debruyne managed to join Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall during the descent before winning the sprint from the chasing group for third. Even the strongest surviving breakaway rider finished 46 seconds behind Pogacar and Mas.
Kron eventually came home in 13th
Pogacar says UAE’s plan changed during the stage
Pogacar’s post-stage account added another layer to the discussion circulating before the start. While riders inside the peloton believed the Slovenian wanted the victory, UAE had initially planned to allow the breakaway to contest it.
“We had a plan to let the break go today but it took nearly two hours to form a breakaway, so in the end we had to pull for less than half a stage to bring it together,” Pogacar explained.
The prolonged battle prevented any move from receiving a substantial early advantage. Once the 16 riders finally escaped, Ramses Debruyne’s position at 4:44 in the general classification also gave UAE a reason to maintain control.
Joao Almeida and Kevin Vermaerke began reducing the gap before Pavel Sivakov, Jay Vine and Pablo Torres delivered Pogacar to the steepest section of Puerto El Bartolo. From there, only Mas could prevent the red jersey from completing another long-range solo victory.
Kron and the other attackers had been right about Pogacar’s intentions, even if UAE’s decision to chase was only finalised during the stage. The result left the Slovenian with three victories and control of the red, green and polka-dot jerseys after six days of racing.
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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- 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
- Naesen: "The peloton don't view Pogačar as an opponent anymore." The peleton views Pogi as a half-god of cycling... just like the Greeks viewed Hercules, Perseus or Achilles.PogiSloFans28-08-2026
- I'm a 100% Slovenian. So are my parents and grandparents... yes, but we did live in the US years ago. I'm so happy we left after seeing what's happening there at this moment. The nazi-fascist orange orangutan is destroying the country. Just hope the Democrats win the midterms.PogiSloFans28-08-2026
- Hey Jumpyjohn, stop your blabbering which makes no sense. So “millions” for you can refer to anything from two million upward? Millions of people live in Slovenia.... because 2+ million is indeed millions??? We all know that in everyday speech it can sometimes sound like you're suggesting a much larger number. A reasonable person will never say that millions of people live in Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro. North Macedonia, Latvia, Lithuania or even Austria. It's people like you, who like to fantasize and blabber, just for the sake of blabbering.PogiSloFans28-08-2026
- But you aren’t Slovenian … capish? American yes, Slovenian, not so much.
Andrew28-08-2026
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