Pogačar takes control of the Vuelta with a 50km solo

Tadej Pogačar delivered a major blow to the 2026 Vuelta a España with a solo victory on stage 4, raced over 104.8 kilometres around Andorra la Vella. The Slovenian attacked on the Collada de Beixalis with 50.5 kilometres remaining. Felix Gall briefly followed him, but Pogačar soon rode clear and completed the Col d'Ordino, Alto de la Comella and the descent to the finish alone.

The race leader built an advantage of more than three minutes before managing his effort in the final kilometres. Pogačar finished 2:39 ahead of Jarno Widar, who took second, and Gall in third. Oscar Onley, Sepp Kuss, Enric Mas and Primož Roglič arrived in the same chasing group, while Richard Carapaz conceded another 18 seconds. João Almeida endured a difficult day and lost more than 20 minutes.

Pogačar retains the red jersey and now leads Roglič, his closest rival, by more than three minutes. Mas has moved into third overall and joins Kuss, Carapaz, Gall, Onley and the emerging Widar in the battle for the podium. After the cancellation of the Font-Romeu stage, Andorra provided the first true mountain test and exposed a substantial gap between Pogačar and the other contenders.