{"id":259928,"date":"2026-08-27T19:16:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T19:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/27\/inaccurate-time-gaps-explain-how-tadej-pogacar-was-caught-during-vuelta-a-espana-attack\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T19:16:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T19:16:38","slug":"inaccurate-time-gaps-explain-how-tadej-pogacar-was-caught-during-vuelta-a-espana-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/27\/inaccurate-time-gaps-explain-how-tadej-pogacar-was-caught-during-vuelta-a-espana-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Inaccurate time gaps explain how Tadej Poga\u010dar was caught during Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-d42897d0-a24b-11f1-ac7c-3dfed442835e\">UAE Team Emirates-XRG management have argued that even if <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tadej-pogacar\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tadej-pogacar\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/tadej-pogacar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> was surprisingly caught by Enric Mas (Movistar) on stage 6 of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/vuelta-a-espana\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/vuelta-a-espana\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/vuelta-a-espana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a<\/a>, he was able to use that to his advantage so that the two could gain time on the rest of the field.<\/p>\n<p>Mas tracked down Pogacar on the Puerto de El Bartolo climb after the Vuelta leader had broken away four kilometres to the summit.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"ecom-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-d42897d0-a24b-11f1-ac7c-3dfed442835e-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The highly unusual scenario of Poga\u010dar being reeled in by another GC contender &#8211; which last happened in a Grand Tour in Le Lioran in the 2024 Tour de France &#8211; did not end in his defeat, though, as the Slovenian star <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/vuelta-a-espana-tadej-pogacar-survives-near-crash-on-descent-for-third-victory-of-the-race-on-stage-6\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/vuelta-a-espana-tadej-pogacar-survives-near-crash-on-descent-for-third-victory-of-the-race-on-stage-6\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/vuelta-a-espana-tadej-pogacar-survives-near-crash-on-descent-for-third-victory-of-the-race-on-stage-6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">outpowered Mas at the finish for the stage win<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand\">Cyclingnews<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Unexpected as it was that Poga\u010dar should be caught, UAE Team Emirates-XRG underlined that there was nothing unusual going on with the Slovenian, who still now amassed a total of three stage wins, the leader&#8217;s jersey since day one and the mountains and points lead as well.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">An unexpected lack of information created an unusual scenario of Poga\u010dar finishing with a rival, rather than alone as is usually the case.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">However, after <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/scare-for-tadej-pogacar-as-he-veers-off-road-following-rivals-warning-to-take-it-easy-on-vuelta-a-espana-descent-video\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/scare-for-tadej-pogacar-as-he-veers-off-road-following-rivals-warning-to-take-it-easy-on-vuelta-a-espana-descent-video\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/scare-for-tadej-pogacar-as-he-veers-off-road-following-rivals-warning-to-take-it-easy-on-vuelta-a-espana-descent-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Slovenian all but fell on the descent<\/a>, the team were simply relieved he was unscathed and uninjured after what could have been a very serious accident.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;What happened was we were told over race radio [on the Bartolo] that Tadej was alone and that the Rogli\u010d [closest chase] group was at 53 seconds,&#8221; UAE team boss Joxean Fern\u00e1ndez Matxin told reporters.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-ExtoryFPrZYxBcmZDseokf\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-ExtoryFPrZYxBcmZDseokf slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We gave him that information and then suddenly we saw that Enric Mas was there with him, we didn&#8217;t know that Enric was so close.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Then he hadn&#8217;t done the recon of the descent because what he did between the Tour and the Vuelta was rest and train. He&#8217;d seen videos but obviously that&#8217;s not always the same.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We&#8217;d been down the descent, but not with the new tarmac and that changed things, too. So when he went off the road, we had a big shock.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We told him not to take any risks at all, because there was barely half a metre between the side of the road and the main drop. You could see on the way up on the climb it wasn&#8217;t easy, that there was a big drop, too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That the two were then able to collaborate to gain 46 seconds, plus time bonuses on their rivals and that Poga\u010dar could then take the win made the day a success story in many ways, Matxin argued.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;They both had good reasons to work together. I don&#8217;t know if they talked together, but they could get time on their rivals. Both for Mas and Tadej, that was good.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Rather than time, in any case, our main idea was to drop as many riders as possible so that he would be able to do a really dangerous ascent and descent as safely as possible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;It wouldn&#8217;t have been the same if he had had to go down the descent with 20 or 30 guys all looking for the stage win. It was a question of the fewer riders, the safer.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Matxin had not expected that Poga\u010dar would have been able to win, given there were so many riders in the break of the day &#8211; 16 &#8211; &#8220;and the logical thing is that they should have got five minutes.&#8221; Instead, UAE were able to turn the tables on that situation and put Poga\u010dar in a position to go for the victory.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if they stopped collaborating or what happened, but we did the climb with Jay [Vine] and Pablo [Torres]. We certainly didn&#8217;t expect to get to the foot of the climb with less than a minute on the break ahead.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Poga\u010dar has now clinched a third victory, and his overall lead has been strengthened against all but one rider. As Matxin agreed, if that constitutes a bad day for the maillot rojo, looking at the results sheet, it&#8217;s hard to see why it should be considered that way.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You&#8217;ll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! <\/strong><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=LV26\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=LV26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=LV26\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>Join today.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/we-didnt-know-that-enric-was-so-close-inaccurate-time-gaps-explain-how-tadej-pogacar-was-caught-during-vuelta-a-espana-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UAE Team Emirates-XRG management have argued that even if Tadej Poga\u010dar was surprisingly caught by Enric Mas (Movistar) on stage 6 of the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, he was able to use that to his advantage so that the two could gain time on the rest of the field. Mas tracked down Pogacar on the Puerto [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":259929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-259928","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}