Is Tadej Pogačar Getting Cocky? Rival Warned Him of Danger Moments Before He Nearly Crashed

Is Tadej Pogačar getting cocky at the Vuelta a España?

That’s the question doing the rounds after King Pog ignored advice from Enric Mas to slow down just seconds before he overcooked a corner and needed a miracle save to keep his season upright.

Speaking after Thursday’s 6th stage of La Vuelta, Mas told reporters he warned Pogačar of the risk of the treacherous descent off the final climb of the stage.

“I warned him there was a difficult bend, and that we had to be careful,” Mas said Thursday afternoon.

The gruesome concrete downhill from the severe final climb of Thursday’s stage was narrow, dirty, and laden with risk.

TV footage shows Mas gesturing to Pogačar, who was just a few meters behind, to pump the brakes on the goat track descent.

Pogačar was having none of it.

A few sweeping bends after Mas waved him to slow, Pogačar veered into the grassy verge. Only some silky handling skills saved the four-time Strade Bianche champion from what could have been a race-ending crash.

He pulled to a near halt, pushed his way back to the concrete, and crushed Mas in the sprint 20km later.

“He went off course, but by the time I had turned round, he was already back with me,” Mas said after the stage.

“We knew it was a cement surface we’re not used to handling, so I took it carefuly,” he said. “There were a few moments when I skidded, but that’s part of racing.”

Pogačar: ‘It could easily have been a big crash for me’

Pogačar admitted in his press conference after the stage that he got lucky after he survived a near crash and a dehydration scare.

His race could have completely unraveled after he was startled by Mas catching back to him at the summit of the kingmaker Puerto de El Bartolo.

“The descent was very steep,” Pogačar said Thursday in his press conference. “I knew it was very dangerous and a shit road. But even when people tell you it’s dangerous, you don’t realize until you’re there.

“I’m glad I stayed on the bike,” he added. “It could easily have been a big crash for me.”

He wants it all – but he’s got to make it to Granada first

Was this a warning shot for Pogi?

A taste of hubristic overconfidence perhaps?

He’d won 2 out of 4 contested stages before he made it 3 from 5 on Thursday. He owns the red, green, and polka dot jerseys. You can bet he wants to be wearing them all on the final podium in Granada, too.

Pogačar and UAE Emirates have already killed the Vuelta a España and have the peloton in their sweaty mitts.

But Thursday’s descending near-miss might have reminded the GOAT that nobody is invulnerable.

Remember the golden rule: You can’t win the bike race if you don’t finish the bike race.