Tadej Pogacar continues to set the pace, Enric Mas tries to keep up with him, but behind them the Vuelta a España 2026 has discovered a new protagonist. His name is Ramses Debruyne, he is 23 years old, he comes from Flanders and yesterday, in the sixth stage, he achieved a surprising third place, finishing just 46 seconds behind the pair that fought for victory.

A result that was not easy to predict beforehand and that tells us well about the peculiarity of this young Alpecin-Premier Tech rider. Debruyne, born in Rollegem, a suburb of Kortrijk, did not actually start his sporting career on a bicycle. Before discovering cycling, his world was made of ice, skates and speed.

His objective, when he was still a boy, was simple: to skate faster than others. Today, instead, he seeks to be faster than others on the roads of the Grand Tours. And yesterday he succeeded, leaving behind riders who are much more experienced and established.

The sixth stage also tested the men in the general classification. Pogacar and Enric Mas made the difference up front, while behind them Debruyne held his ground in a group of chasers that included names of the caliber of Richard Carapaz, Harold Tejada, Oscar Onley and Primoz Roglic. The Belgian then won the sprint for third place, completing a practically perfect day.

«I don't think I'm a general classification rider – he said surprised when journalists present wanted to interview him - I only like days like this when I get into a breakaway and try to get the best possible result».

Words that tell of a rider still searching for his own identity. Debruyne does not want to be defined, at least for now, as a general classification man. He prefers to attack, get into breakaways and take advantage of those days when everything falls perfectly into place.

Yet the result achieved in Castelló has brought him up to eighth place in the general classification and has also brought him closer to the white jersey. In the young riders' classification, in fact, Debruyne is just three seconds behind Oscar Onley, the current leader.

Numbers that inevitably raise a question: what if this young man really has something to say in the general classification too? Debruyne recounted with great clarity the moment when the race transformed into a battle between the best.

«The group always stayed very close, and with those steep climbs and Pogacar's acceleration, you know it will be tough. He only caught me in the final, and then I managed to stay with Roglic and Gall. And then I wanted to give everything for that podium spot. I'm happy with the result; I gave everything and had no more energy left».

There was nothing left to conserve, then. In the final, the young Flemish rider simply emptied the tank, aware that he had a difficult-to-repeat opportunity ahead. Up front, Pogacar and Enric Mas were now unreachable. Behind, however, there were riders accustomed to fighting for top positions in the Grand Tours. Debruyne was not intimidated and found the strength to beat them in the sprint.

His sporting history makes the performance even more interesting. Before cycling, Debruyne was indeed a speed skater at the Boudewijn Skating Club in Bruges. The transition from the ice rink to the roads was anything but natural.

And above all, there was an enemy he had to learn to live with: the heat. «At first it wasn't easy, because for someone used to training all year in the cold, it's harder than for others. But I gradually started to get used to it, training specifically in the heat and now high temperatures are no longer a problem».

A slow transformation, built through training and the ability to adapt. From the cold of the Bruges rink to the temperatures of the Vuelta, Debruyne changed his environment without losing his main characteristic: the pursuit of speed.

The third place in Castelló does not change the ambitions declared by the Belgian, but it inevitably changes the perception that the peloton can have of him. At 23 years old, at his first major opportunity in a race of this level, Debruyne has shown he can stand alongside riders like Roglic, Carapaz and Gall. And above all, he has shown he can react when the race explodes.

Professional cycling came to him after speed skating. Now it could be cycling that gives him a new trajectory. The Vuelta has already given him a day to remember and an eighth place in the general classification.

He continues to say he's not a general classification rider. Perhaps it's too early to contradict him. But after what he did yesterday, it will be difficult for the peloton to continue considering him merely a young rider looking for space. Ramses Debruyne has started knocking on the door of the greats and he did it coming straight from the ice.