Pogacar Solos to Victory on Beixalis in Andorra Vuelta Stage

Tadej Pogacar launched a decisive solo attack on the Collada de Beixalís with over 50km remaining and powered alone to victory in Andorra la Vella, cementing his grip on the red jersey during La Vuelta's first mountain stage entirely within Andorra.

The 104.8km route from Monday—featuring relentless climbs including Envalira, Beixalís, Ordino and La Comella—proved punishing despite its brevity. Pogacar, riding for UAE Team Emirates, dropped Felix Gall early on the 6.5km ascent to Beixalís at 8.5% gradient. Jay Vine had already stretched the favourites' group on the lower ramps, setting the stage for the Slovenian's move at 50.5km from the finish.

No challengers could respond. Richard Carapaz tried to organise a chase with Primoz Roglic, Enric Mas, Sepp Kuss and Corbin Strong, but Pogacar's lead swelled to 1:35 at the Beixalís summit. By the Ordino climb, it reached 3:08 over Roglic, Gall, Strong, Mas and Kuss, who formed a chasing quintet focused on minimising losses among themselves.

Pogacar crested Ordino with that margin intact before descending through La Comella to claim the stage win amid cheering crowds in the capital. His UAE squad controlled the race from the start, with Rui Oliveira dictating pace early. A large breakaway—including Wout van Aert, Matthew Brennan, Pablo Castrillo, Raúl García Pierna, Iván Sosa and Lorenzo Fortunato—animated the long haul to Envalira, where Fortunato summited first at 2,409m. Decathlon AG2R led the reel-in 70km from the end.

The stage followed the cancellation of the previous day's Font-Romeu leg due to bad weather, with Pogacar already leading the general classification. His display builds on the razor-thin Monaco time-trial win that handed him the first red jersey.

Among Andorran residents, Brennan featured in the break, while Vine remains a contender after his earlier efforts. Tuesday's 214.3km stage to Manosque awaits, but Pogacar's authority looms large over the 3,275km race.