Pogačar criticises Vuelta officials over denied water in final kilometres

Tadej Pogačar accused Vuelta a España officials of refusing to provide him with a water bottle during the final 15 kilometres of Thursday's stage, which featured extreme heat and a gravel climb. Temperatures reached 34 °C with strong winds and high humidity, and the UCI race jury had confirmed that the official feed zone ended at the 20-kilometre mark, effectively cutting off any further assistance.

“When we came to 15 km to go, I asked for the bottle. I’m looking for water but there was no response from the commissar or organization car,” Pogačar said, adding that the lack of hydration was a “big pain in the ass” in such conditions.

Pogačar later described his confusion over the race situation, noting he was unaware that Enric Mas was closing in on him near the summit of the gravel climb. He said he initially thought a spectator was passing him before realizing Mas was a rival making a strong effort.

“I really didn’t know that Mas is there because I heard a group of favorites is 40 then 50 seconds behind… What’s going on? Is this a spectator coming past me?”

After the sprint finish, in which Pogačar edged out Mas, the rider recounted a near-miss on the steep, narrow descent. He veered off the road but managed to keep his bike upright and re-join the pavement, avoiding a potentially serious crash.

“I’m glad and happy that I stayed there on the bike, that could be easily a big crash for me,” he said.

Pogačar went on to win the stage, while Mas moved into second place overall, trailing the leader by 3 minutes 34 seconds.