'Pogacar will attack and want to win it himself' - Widar and Van Aert expect no breakaway on the gravel

Jarno Widar and Wout van Aert both expect Tadej Pogačar to settle stage 6 of the Vuelta a España personally, with neither anticipating a breakaway being allowed to contest the win on the day's unpaved climb.

The 177.5-kilometre stage from Alcossebre carries around 3,100 metres of climbing across four categorised ascents. The last of them includes 1.9 kilometres of unpaved road at 11.8 per cent, after which a descent leads onto roughly nine flat kilometres to the finish.

"I don't expect there to be a breakaway for the win. I think Pogačar wants to win himself and will attack on the gravel," Widar told Het Laatste Nieuws.

Van Aert, a former gravel world champion, is not enthusiastic about this particular sector.

"Maybe this is the gravel I like the least. It's especially a climb more than a gravel section, I think," he said. "I like this kind of gravel section, but of course with these gradients it's not ideal for me," said Van Aert to members of the media including Domestique

That does not mean he dislikes the stage. "I didn't watch it personally yet, but from the images I saw, I think it's a really nice stage, a nice little uphill part there. It can be decisive."

Asked whether there is a technique to riding gravel at that gradient, Van Aert pointed to weight distribution. "It's probably a bit more important to stay seated, even on the steep parts. For some climbers it's always difficult to stay on the saddle and produce the same power. It will be more of a seated effort than when you would have these gradients on tarmac."

Widar has been told the surface is in good condition, which will not make it easier. "I'm going to try to hang on as long as possible. They've said the gravel sectors are in very good shape and that they're very steep."

The 20-year-old was second behind Pogačar on stage 4 in Andorra, the standout ride of his Grand Tour debut. He has since ruled himself out of the Belgian squad for the world championships. "I'm not going to ride the Worlds or the Europeans," he said.

He was asked whether the finish reminded him of the Mur de Huy, and was not entirely convinced. "The Flèche Wallonne is a bit shorter. It's a nice climb, I think."

Van Aert does not see the red jersey changing hands either. "I think he was also vocal about it and he wants to keep it," he said of Pogačar, who leads by 3:21. "It seems like his goal and they are on a good way already."

That leaves Widar weighing up whether the break is worth the effort. "I'd like to go in the break, but there'd be little point, because Pogačar will want to win the stage himself. I take it day by day and just do my best."