Enric Mas scores points by refusing the red jersey after Pogačar drama at the Vuelta a España

Enric Mas showed his very best side on Saturday after Stage 8 of the Vuelta a España. The Spanish climber from Movistar took the podium as the new leader of the general classification following Tadej Pogačar’s withdrawal. There, however, he took off the red leader’s jersey in front of all his compatriots who had come to cheer him on.

Mas had a smile on his face, but like the rest of the peloton, he must have had a knot in his stomach. The 31-year-old Mas had stayed closest to Pogačar so far, but after just under a week, he had still fallen nearly 4 minutes behind. If all went well, Pogačar was on his way to the overall victory with little effort.

But things didn’t go smoothly, because the red jersey wearer fell after hitting a rock on the road, flew over his handlebars, and had to be taken to the ambulance, badly battered. The stage was completed, but it was marred by another crash in the final kilometer, so there was little to be truly happy about at the podium ceremony that followed. Unless it was Brian Coquard, who won the stage for Cofidis.

Mas had his mind on Pogačar; he accepted the red jersey but decided not to wear it. He will, of course, do so in Stage 9, now that Mas is the new leader. The Movistar team leader holds a solid lead of 1:11 over Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) is the new No. 3, 1.33 minutes behind Mas.

Matthew Brennan, a pre-race favorite for Vuelta a España Stage 8, finished tenth after a crash-filled day. He criticized fellow riders for taking excessive risks, saying many “thought they were superheroes” and calling the aggression unsafe, especially given the low effort for much of the stage.

Brennan lost the wheels of teammates Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert amid the chaos and couldn’t position for the sprint. Despite frustration, he noted he already has two stage wins and plans to refocus on upcoming opportunities. Read more