“We’re fighting for second place, for the podium... that's the reality” - Enric Mas concedes Vuelta win already out of reach after Tadej Pogacar demolition
CyclingTuesday, 25 August 2026 at 18:14
Enric Mas has accepted that the battle for victory at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana has effectively become a fight for second place after Tadej Pogacar demolished his rivals on the first major mountain test in Andorra.
Pogacar's 50-kilometre solo attack on stage 4 left Primoz Roglic 3:21 behind in the general classification and Mas another 11 seconds further back in third. With every other contender even further adrift, the Movistar Team leader was under no illusions about what the rest of the race now looks like.
“We’re fighting for second place, for the podium and for reality. We already knew that before we got here,” Mas admitted after the finish in Andorra la Vella.
For Mas, that acknowledgement does not mean there is nothing left to race for. Only 36 seconds separate Roglic in second from Felix Gall in seventh, leaving the battle behind Pogacar remarkably tight despite the enormous gulf to the red jersey.
“The team was a 10 out of 10”
Movistar had helped make stage 4 difficult long before Pogacar launched the attack that ultimately settled the day.
The Spanish team were active during the aggressive opening before Decathlon CMA CGM Team drove the race particularly hard on the Port d'Envalira and towards the Collada de Beixalis. Mas remained among the strongest GC riders once Pogacar disappeared up the road and was particularly pleased with the support he received. “The team was a 10 out of 10. They set a really hard pace,” he said.
Mas was unable to turn that work into a gap over the riders who now look set to become his direct rivals for the podium. “Although I wasn’t able to take any seconds today. Very happy,” he added.
The chase fractured repeatedly behind Pogacar. Gall and Oscar Onley initially opened a gap before Roglic bridged across, with Mas and Sepp Kuss then joining them. Richard Carapaz, Mattias Skjelmose and Jarno Widar subsequently regained contact on the descent ahead of the Alto de La Comella. “We were in a very good group, then the Carapaz group came back to us on the descent and we continued,” Mas explained.
Mas turns attention towards podium fight
The result leaves Mas third overall at 3:32, only 11 seconds behind Roglic and 12 ahead of Kuss. Onley, Carapaz and Gall are also all within another 25 seconds. There are still 17 stages remaining, and Mas made clear that Movistar have no intention of simply protecting what they already have. “We’ll keep battling,” he insisted.
His assessment of the rider more than three minutes ahead was rather less complicated: “The reality is that Tadej Pogacar is the best.”
Pogacar may already have placed the red jersey beyond realistic reach, but Mas leaves Andorra firmly in the centre of a podium contest in which second through seventh are separated by just 36 seconds.
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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- I assumed that even before the start of the Vuelta.MajorPayne25-08-2026
- I can't believe someone made me like Mou's post! You are truly special!MajorPayne25-08-2026
- What's boring is people complaining.Hills3325-08-2026
- Don't watch cycling... watch bowling, curling, dart throwing or chess...PogiSloFans25-08-2026
- Personally? We're over seeing this guy at the top EVERY freaking time {Lance Armstrong double?}. BORING!! PLEASE 🙏, give us some NEW hopefuls to get behind!!!f9ers5525-08-2026
- Pretty amazing since the race was in Monaco.zaz25-08-2026
- Wonder who is on the list of the best riders ever that are not proven dopers...Staal25-08-2026
- People win GTs by 2 mins which is considered a comfortable margin, Pogi is taking 3 mins in a stage, same like the TDF, GC over in a single stage. Now in training mode for the WCabstractengineer25-08-2026
- You can think whatever you want to and only Pogi knows what is important to him. But until someone else wins 7 or more Tours Armstrong still holds the title for the most. It doesn't matter if he was stripped of them for doping he still won them and against other people that were doping. And the UCI knows it that is why they didn't just give the titles to the second place finisher.Hc222825-08-2026
- And your tomorrow has become today, and yes, at this moment Pogi is 3:12 up on everyone.PogiSloFans25-08-2026
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