Tadej Pogacar outsprinted Enric Mas to claim Vuelta a Espana stage six victory on Thursday, his third stage win of the race.
The Slovenian superstar and Mas outshone their rivals on the gravel in the stage's final climb, and Pogacar held off the Spaniard when arriving in Castellon de la Plana to extend his general classification lead.
Five-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, the overwhelming favourite for the Vuelta, is aiming to complete a Grand Tour grand slam having also won the Giro d'Italia in 2024.
ParecÃa otra exhibición en solitario de Pogacar... pero apareció Enric Mas con una de las actuaciones de su vida para disputarle la victoria.
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) August 27, 2026
Revive el último kilómetro gracias a @CarrefourES pic.twitter.com/x7q5BDsXyi
Ramses Debruyne grabbed the third spot on the podium, finishing in a group including Primoz Roglic, Richard Carapaz and Felix Gall, 46 seconds behind the leaders.
UAE Team Emirates XRG's Pogacar, who had a brief scare as he came off the road on the final descent, now leads Movistar's Mas by 3min 34sec and compatriot Roglic by 4min 21sec overall.
Mas overtook Pogacar on the summit of the last climb, which came out of the blue for the Slovenian.
"I was really surprised on the top, he flew past by me like a rocket," said Pogacar.
"I was just happy to be with him in the last 10 kilometres into the headwind because I had no water, it was nice to have a compatriot next to me.
"Then in the end, I knew that I can beat him in the sprint, but I still appreciated that he committed full and I also committed full to the finish line. So chapeau to him, it was a great race."
There was a big battle to get into the break on the 177.5 kilometre ride from Alcossebre but it took a long time for an escape to form.
Finally, 15 riders moved clear and established a two-and-a-half minute gap on the peloton with 40km remaining.
The break split up on the final climb of Puerto El Bartolo, which peeled onto a gravel road, where Pogacar attacked and picked off the riders ahead of him.
POGACAR SCARE
Mas was hot on his tail and the Spaniard dug deep to charge past Pogacar and head over the top of the climb ahead.
Pogacar came off the road and into a grassy section after misjudging a corner, but he swiftly recovered to get back on Mas's trail.
"He simply went off the track, and when I turned around, he was already on my wheel," said Mas.
Four-time Vuelta winner Roglic, Gall and Debruyne were chasing the front two, but Pogacar and Mas worked well together to keep their advantage.
Pogacar lead out towards the finish line but and Mas simply did not have the kick to come around him.
"Pogi is Pogi, and we have to take it one day at a time – I'm second overall, I'm feeling good," said Mas.
It was a bad day for Oscar Onley, who lost over a minute-and-a-half on his general classification rivals.
Earlier in the day, Netcompany Ineos rider Josh Tarling abandoned the race with around 120km of the stage left, with his team not giving a reason.
The Briton's brother Finlay Tarling died in the Tour of Portugal after a crash with a vehicle, but Josh decided to race in Spain in honour of his sibling.
"Josh Tarling's brave La Vuelta has come to an end and he's decided to stop. We couldn't be prouder," said Netcompany Ineos on social media.
Tarling produced a strong display in the first stage individual time trial, coming third behind Pogacar and Ethan Hayter.