Tadej Pogacar criticised after Vuelta stage attack

Tadej Pogacar remains the Vuelta leader after an aggressive opening road stage, but his decision-making in the finale drew criticism from Wout van Aert. The Belgian challenged Pogacar over his refusal to take turns during their late move, while Pogacar said he had needed to recover after chasing the attack.

Matthew Brenan won the stage, with Pogacar taking third after finishing behind the powerful late surge on the final 300 metres, a section averaging 6%. The result followed Pogacar’s victory in the Monaco prologue and left him in the red jersey. He had already spent energy during the day, including an acceleration after the intermediate sprint 36 kilometres from the finish.

Pogacar also responded when Van Aert attacked on a short rise less than two kilometres from the line. He followed because he believed the Belgian’s move had a strong chance of succeeding, but did not contribute at the front once he had closed the gap. Pogacar later acknowledged that helping might have been possible, while arguing that Van Aert would have been difficult to beat in the finish.

The Slovenian is not planning to conserve his efforts. He identified Monday’s stage as another opportunity, with the race heading into the Pyrenees and a first-category ascent to Font-Romeu. Van Aert took some consolation from Brenan’s victory, while Pogacar begins the next test with the lead but under scrutiny over his tactics.