RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesTadej Pogačar won stage four of the Vuelta a España by 2 minutes and 39 seconds after a 50km solo attack.
Pogačar leads the general classification by 3: 21 over fellow Slovenian Primož Roglič.
Wednesday's fifth stage is a hilly 173.3km ride from Falset Costa Daurada to Terres de l'Ebre in Spain's north east.
Four days is all it took for Tadej Pogačar to end the Vuelta a España as a meaningful contest, the Slovenian great once again riding away from the peloton to win solo and establish a massive lead over the rest of the field.
It has been 32 years since Tony Rominger led a grand tour from start to finish when he won the 1994 Vuelta.
But with yet another thrilling display of daring, Pogačar put himself in pole position to emulate the Swiss rider and become just the ninth man to lead a three-week race from start to finish.
Superlatives have long been superfluous when writing about this Slovenian superstar.
Things that should not be possible are made to look routine.
When he hits the front of a race as the road goes into the mountains, the rest of the pack knows that their only chance is to ride at their own tempo.
Any attempt to fly too close to this generation's greatest star will surely send their hopes of finishing the race crashing to the ground, like Icarus.
Pogačar took off with just over 50 kilometres remaining of the 104.8km circuit around Andorra la Vella to claim yet another dominant victory.
Decathlon CMA CGM put the power down at the bottom of the Collada de Beixalis climb, the second mountain of the day, and ripped the peloton to shreds.
Australian Jay Vine led the charge in support for the Slovenian's UAE Emirates XRG team, but with the pace already high, Pogačar upped his rate to burst clear.
Decathlon's Austrian leader Felix Gall tried to match Pogačar's pace in the initial throes of his attack.
However, the Austrian, as so many riders have discovered before him, could barely hold the double-world champion's wheel and quickly dropped off before being joined by the rest of the favourites.
"The pace was already super fast on the throttle right from the base [of the climb]," Pogačar told media after the race.
"When Jay let me pass him on Decathlon's wheel, I knew: 'OK, I don't want to get isolated from all those general classification contenders, because otherwise they'll all gang up on me.'
"I tried to attack on the climb. When I saw that I could open up a gap, I just hoped I could hold on until the finish. It worked out.
"It was really tough, but it's a wonderful feeling."
Pogačar's lead extended to over 3 minutes at one stage before he rolled home to win by 2 minutes and 39 seconds from Jarno Widar, with Gall third.
The 50km attack was his longest in a grand tour, bettering the 43km solo victory he launched in the Pyrenees last month at the Tour de France .
It is another remarkable performance from the Slovenian to add to the extraordinary wins that have become so normal it is expected of him.
With two key objectives to come this season, the World Championships road race in Canada falls just two weeks after the Vuelta's conclusion, with the Giro di Lombardia a further two weeks after that, Pogačar may now be able to take things easier through the next two-and-a-half weeks of racing in Spain.
The 27-year-old's lead in the general classification now stands at 3 minutes and 21 seconds, with four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič sitting second.
"To be honest, any lead is a bonus," Pogačar said.
"This is fantastic, because now I can head into the coming days with peace of mind and a lot of confidence.
"We're taking it day by day and staying focused. Hopefully, after this stage, the pressure will ease up a bit."
Pogačar is also a comprehensive leader in the points and king of the mountains classifications.
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