TakeVueltalast week
Pogačar isn't denying he attacked out of frustration — he's denying he had a reason to be frustrated at all. He says the move was based on a radio update giving him a 40-second gap over the chasers with no mention of Enric Mas, meaning he attacked on bad information, not bad blood.
That reframing matters because Pogačar also walked back his own on-stage complaint about being denied a water bottle, now saying «…I wasn't dehydrated or anything. I felt fine without water.» Sports manager Joxean Fernández Matxín backs that up, reporting no signs of bonking during the stage. Together, the two retractions swap a story about physical vulnerability for one about a communication error — Pogačar wants the narrative to be a miscalculation, not a crack.
Sources
'He flew past me like a rocket... I was a little bit shocked' - Tadej Pogacar explains stunned Enric Mas reaction before Vuelta crash scare'He flew past me like a rocket... I was a little bit shocked' - Tadej Pogacar explains stunned Enric Mas reactionTadej Pogačar Fumes After Officials Deny Water Bottle Late in Scorching Vuelta a España Finale