Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar, a five-time Tour de France champion and a strong contender, was forced to withdraw from the Spanish Vuelta following a crash on the eighth stage of the event over the weekend.
Despite holding a significant lead in the race, Pogacar was involved in a crash approximately 33 kilometers from the finish line. He made efforts to resume cycling but ultimately had to abandon the race due to his injuries, as confirmed by race officials.
Pogacar, the leading rider for UAE Team Emirates, aimed to join the elite group of male cyclists who have won all three Grand Tour races. Having secured victory in the Tour de France for the third consecutive year and clinching a fifth overall title in July, along with a Giro d’Italia win in 2024, Pogacar was eyeing success in the Vuelta, an event he last participated in during his Grand Tour debut in 2019.
Photos and videos from the incident revealed Pogacar sustaining cuts on his head, left arm, and shoulder. The crash occurred when Pogacar veered right into other cyclists, apparently attempting to evade an obstacle on the road. This caused him to lose control, catapulting over his handlebars and sustaining injuries to his head and shoulder.
After the stage, UAE Team Emirates sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernandez disclosed that Pogacar required stitches on his eyebrow and other areas due to the crash. Fernandez emphasized the unpredictability of such incidents in cycling and expressed disappointment over Pogacar’s withdrawal, citing the pain the cyclist experienced in his shoulder as the determining factor.
Following Pogacar’s exit from the race, Enric Mas of Movistar assumed the race leader position, with a time advantage of 3 minutes and 50 seconds over his closest competitor before the stage where Pogacar crashed. The subsequent stage, covering a flat 171-kilometer route from Pucol to Xeraco, saw Bryan Coquard of the Cofidis team claim victory, with Mas seizing the race leader’s jersey.
Mas, the first Spanish rider to lead the Vuelta since 2018, expressed mixed emotions about inheriting the red jersey due to Pogacar’s misfortune. He acknowledged the situation and emphasized solidarity with Pogacar, opting not to wear the leader’s jersey immediately after the race.
Notably, Jonas Vingegaard, Pogacar’s key rival, was absent from the Vuelta after sustaining injuries in the Tour de France earlier this year. This marked Pogacar’s first abandonment in ten Grand Tour appearances, having previously never finished below third place.
The Spanish Vuelta, a three-week cycling event, is set to conclude in Granada on September 13.