RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Tadej Pogacar is aiming to complete the full set of Grand Tour victories [Getty Images]
Tadej Pogacar recovered from a brief off-road excursion to outsprint Enric Mas and claim his third victory at this year's Vuelta a Espana, but he was made to fight all the way to the line by the Spaniard on stage six.
After attacking on the final climb and rapidly establishing a handsome lead it looked as though the defending world champion would romp away to a trademark solo victory.
But, as the rest of the main contenders struggled in his slipstream, Movistar's Mas reeled him in and overtook him on the final metres of the climb to claim maximum points in the king of the mountain's classification.
The home rider then initially led down the final descent, at one point gesturing to Pogacar to take it cautiously.
But the six-time Grand Tour winner, who is chasing the Vuelta crown to complete the set with victory in all three of the sport's biggest stage races, having already won five Tours de France and a Giro d'Italia, did not heed the warning.
He skipped past Mas on the inside at a corner and soon put distance between them, only to overcook it on the next corner and go into the small rocks at the side of the Tarmac.
His excellent bike-handling skills enabled him to scrub off enough speed to prevent a serious crash and he was soon on his way again, but he was content to follow Mas down the rest of the descent before the pair worked together to put time into the chasers, with Pogacar's superior sprint securing him yet another stage win in his already glittering career.
The result means the 27-year-old's lead in the general classification now stands at three minutes and 34 seconds, with Mas climbing to second overall.
Meanwhile, Welsh rider Josh Tarling, whose brother Finlay died two weeks ago at the age of 19 after a collision with a vehicle in the Tour of Portugal, abandoned the race with about 120km remaining.
"Josh Tarling's brave La Vuelta has come to an end and he's decided to stop. We couldn't be prouder," said his team Netcompany Ineos on social media.
Tarling produced a strong performance in the opening stage, coming third behind Pogacar and Ethan Hayter in an individual time trial.
Pogacar 'surprised' by Mas surge
After the stage, Pogacar said he was "really surprised" by how Mas passed him "like a rocket" at the summit.
"I was not expecting it because I heard on the radio I was 40 seconds ahead of the chasers and Enric wasn't mentioned," he said.
"When he passed me, I was little bit shocked. I was sure he knew the downhill and I was happy to be with [him] for the last 10 km with headwind.
"I knew I could beat [him] in the sprint. I appreciated that he committed fully, and I also committed fully to the line. It was a good race."
While Pogacar has now won half the stages so far in this edition of the Vuelta, Mas' performance provided the home crowd with plenty to cheer, as he jumped above four-time winner Primoz Roglic in the GC race.
Roglic finished 46 seconds back in a group with Ramses Debruyne, Richard Carapaz and Felix Gall.
It was a bad day for Briton Oscar Onley, who lost over a minute-and-a-half to the winner.
On Friday, the peloton will take a mountainous 149.8km route from Vall d'Alba to Aramon Valdelinares.
Stage six results
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates - XRG) 4hrs 12mins 40secs
2. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) Same time
3. Ramses Debruyne (Bel/Alpecin - Premier Tech) +46 secs
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education - EasyPost) Same time
5. Harold Tejada (Col/XDS Astana)
6. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon CMA CGM)
7. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe)
8. Cristian Rodríguez (Spa/XDS Astana) +1min 38secs
9. Clement Berthet (Fra/Groupama - FDJ United) Same time
10. Mattias Skjelmose (Den/Lidl - Trek)
General classification after stage six
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 15hrs 38mins 27secs
2. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +3mins 34secs
3. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora - hansgrohe) +4mins 21secs
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) +4mins 50secs
5. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon CMA CGM) +4mins 55secs
6. Sepp Kuss (US/Team Visma-Lease a Bike) +5mins 36secs
7. Oscar Onley (GB/Netcompany Ineos) +5mins 37secs
8. Ramses Debruyne (Bel/Alpecin - Premier Tech) +5mins 40secs
9. Mattias Skjelmose (Den/Lidl-Trek) +5mins 58secs
10. Harold Tejada (Col/XDS Astana) +6mins 30secs
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