Tadej Pogacar secured his third stage victory in six stages of La Vuelta on Friday, winning a closely contested sprint against Enric Mas at the finish in Castello. The 177.5 km sixth stage featured a challenging route from Alcossebre to Castello, culminating with the category-one climb of Puerto El Bartolo.

Pogacar, the overall race leader wearing the red jersey, launched an attack 24 km from the finish on the climb’s gravel section, quickly closing down a breakaway group. His UAE Emirates teammate, Australian climber Jay Vine, had helped reduce the gap to the leaders to just under 1:30 before Pogacar struck.

While Pogacar appeared to be in control, Mas, riding for Movistar, responded strongly. The Spaniard caught Pogacar near the summit and crossed first to claim the King of the Mountains points. Pogacar described his reaction to Mas’ move, saying he was surprised at how quickly Mas passed him on the climb but welcomed the challenge, confident he could outperform the Spaniard in the final sprint.

The descent to Castello was marked by a fierce duel between the two riders. Pogacar briefly lost traction and went slightly off the road but managed to recover and stay with Mas. Their effort continued into a sprint finish, where Pogacar edged out Mas to claim the stage win and consolidate his overall lead.

Mas’s strong performance elevated him to second place in the general classification, moving ahead of Primoz Roglic, who now sits third, trailing Pogacar by 4 minutes 21 seconds. Pogacar extends his lead over Mas to three minutes 34 seconds.

Meanwhile, British rider Josh Tarling, part of the Netcompany-Ineos team, abandoned the race on Friday. Tarling had been competing in La Vuelta to honor his late brother, Finlay, who died two weeks ago following a collision with a vehicle during the Volta a Portugal. The 19-year-old Finlay’s passing profoundly affected the cycling community. Netcompany-Ineos released a statement expressing pride in Josh’s determination and bravery throughout the race.

Stage six demonstrated that despite Pogacar’s continued dominance, rivals like Enric Mas remain capable of challenging him, suggesting a more contested battle as La Vuelta progresses.