{"id":260113,"date":"2026-08-28T17:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T17:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/28\/vuelta-a-espana-leader-tadej-pogacar-denies-he-attacked-in-stage-7-finish-because-he-was-upset\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T17:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T17:41:31","slug":"vuelta-a-espana-leader-tadej-pogacar-denies-he-attacked-in-stage-7-finish-because-he-was-upset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/28\/vuelta-a-espana-leader-tadej-pogacar-denies-he-attacked-in-stage-7-finish-because-he-was-upset\/","title":{"rendered":"Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a leader Tadej Poga\u010dar denies he attacked in stage 7 finish because he was upset"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-b4fc8760-a307-11f1-8652-bfbf6f8e0231\">Stage 7 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> was business as usual in some ways for <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> as the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader once again gained time on his GC rivals, but it was a far more muted display than on other occasions.<\/p>\n<p>Riding in the group of favourites, Poga\u010dar reacted to a marked acceleration in pace by Decathlon CMA CGM halfway up the final ascent of Aram\u00f3n Valdelinares, culminating in an attack with their contender Felix Gall.<\/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-b4fc8760-a307-11f1-8652-bfbf6f8e0231-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Slovenian star came through when Gall invited him to collaborate, he told reporters later, and he then accelerated a little more to go clear alone. By the finish, his advantage on Gall was six seconds, with Enric Mas (Movistar), second overall, a further 16 seconds behind and the remainder of the GC rivals at 30 seconds and counting.<\/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\">Not a major gain, then, compared to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tadej-pogacar-longest-solo-wins\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tadej-pogacar-longest-solo-wins\/\" 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\/tadej-pogacar-longest-solo-wins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Poga\u010dar&#8217;s dominating display at Andorra<\/a>, where he took nearly three minutes on his chasers, or even the time he gained during his stage 6 breakaway move with Mas, which netted him just over 40 seconds.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">With the breakaway finally staying away and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/vuelta-a-espana-andreas-leknessund-tobias-johannessen-solo-away-from-wout-van-aert-in-uno-x-mobility-1-2-on-stage-7\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/vuelta-a-espana-andreas-leknessund-tobias-johannessen-solo-away-from-wout-van-aert-in-uno-x-mobility-1-2-on-stage-7\/\" 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-andreas-leknessund-tobias-johannessen-solo-away-from-wout-van-aert-in-uno-x-mobility-1-2-on-stage-7\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Uno-X Mobility&#8217;s Andrea Leknessund winning<\/a>, there was no stage victory to celebrate either. The gains were so slender, it led to some speculation by Mas at the line that Poga\u010dar had been angry at some point during the race and rather than wanting to gain time, he wanted to prove a point.<\/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\">The Vuelta leader denied that this was the case, explaining that his time gain had come about by a series of circumstances rather than a major plan like in Andorra or Castell\u00f2. &#8220;It was quite normal, straightforward,&#8221; Poga\u010dar said.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;I wasn&#8217;t angry at all. I would love to ride with a teammate&#8217;s pace to the top of the climb, but Decathlon decided to race, and they went hard,&#8221; Poga\u010dar explained.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-CujHMmhtD3hN66WRfHSfDa\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-CujHMmhtD3hN66WRfHSfDa 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;I followed Felix and saw some gaps were growing within the GC guys. Felix flicked his elbow for me to pass, then I contributed, and I opened the gap and then continued to the finish. It was all quite normal, straightforward.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Overall, Poga\u010dar&#8217;s GC margin has stretched to 3:50 on second-placed Mas, with Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) now an even more distant 4:50. Although he lost the points jersey to Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease Bike) after the Belgian made it into a breakaway, he reacted a little sharply when asked if the points ranking was &#8216;still a target&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;It was never a target so the word &#8216;still&#8217; is off the table,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The red jersey is the main goal, and that&#8217;s all.&#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\">Talking on Eurosport, Poga\u010dar said that he would have loved to go for his fourth stage win in seven days, but the upcoming climbing challenges, in particular Sunday&#8217;s lengthy trek through the mountains of southern Valencia to the summit of Aitana, made it better to ease back a little.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">He explained that it was &#8220;better to save the team, and have a bit less crazy day than yesterday [stage 6] because stage 9 will be one of the toughest stages of the Vuelta.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Opting to take a more conservative approach once a big enough lead has been established is a textbook strategy for any Grand Tour leader, and Poga\u010dar&#8217;s advantage of nearly four minutes on Mas is certainly a race-winning one. But it remains an unusual strategy for a rider normally as aggressive as Poga\u010dar to take.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">On Sunday&#8217;s ascent of Aitana, we could yet see him revert to type and go for another knockout stage win. Only one thing remains beyond any doubt: he&#8217;s still the strongest rider in the 2026 Vuelta, and his lead is only getting bigger with each mountain stage that passes.<\/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\/racing\/i-wasnt-angry-at-all-vuelta-a-espana-leader-tadej-pogacar-denies-he-attacked-on-aramon-valdelinares-finish-because-he-was-upset\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stage 7 of the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a was business as usual in some ways for Tadej Poga\u010dar as the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader once again gained time on his GC rivals, but it was a far more muted display than on other occasions. Riding in the group of favourites, Poga\u010dar reacted to a marked acceleration [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":260114,"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-260113","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\/260113","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=260113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}