Madrid: 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.

According to BBC, after attacking on the final climb and rapidly establishing a lead, it seemed as though the defending world champion would secure a solo victory. However, as the main contenders struggled in his slipstream, Movistar's Enric Mas closed in and overtook Pogacar on the final meters of the climb to claim maximum points in the King of the Mountains classification.

Initially leading down the final descent, Mas gestured to Pogacar to proceed with caution. Despite the warning, Pogacar, who is aiming for the Vuelta crown to complete his set of victories in all three major stage races, overtook Mas on the inside at a corner. He then put distance between them but veered into small rocks on the next turn.

Thanks to his adept bike-handling skills, Pogacar avoided a serious crash and continued the race. He followed Mas down the remaining descent, and the pair collaborated to distance themselves from the chasers. In the end, Pogacar's superior sprinting ability secured him another stage win in his illustrious career.

This victory extends the 27-year-old's lead in the general classification to three minutes and 34 seconds, with Mas moving to second overall. Meanwhile, Welsh rider Josh Tarling, whose brother Finlay tragically passed away two weeks ago, withdrew from the race with about 120km remaining. His team, Netcompany Ineos, expressed pride in his performance.

Pogacar expressed surprise at Mas's performance, admitting he was "really surprised" by how Mas passed him "like a rocket" at the summit. Despite the unexpected challenge, Pogacar was confident in his sprinting abilities and appreciated Mas's commitment to the race.

Mas's performance was a highlight for the home crowd, allowing him to jump above four-time winner Primoz Roglic in the general classification. Roglic finished the stage 46 seconds back, alongside Ramses Debruyne, Richard Carapaz, and Felix Gall. Briton Oscar Onley faced a setback, losing over a minute and a half to the winner.

Looking ahead, the peloton will tackle a mountainous 149.8km route from Vall d'Alba to Aramon Valdelinares on Friday.