Five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar has been forced to abandon the Vuelta a España following a horrific crash on stage 8, which left him with a concussion and two fractures, one of which will require surgery.
The incident occurred when Pogacar lost control of his bike after hitting a loose stone on the road, about 33 kilometers from the stage finish. He was diagnosed with a concussion, a displaced fracture of his left collarbone, a stable fracture of the C7 cervical vertebra, and multiple abrasions, according to his UAE Team Emirates squad.
Team medical director Adrian Rotunno said: “Fortunately, there are no other serious injuries and no neurological sequelae. Tadej will require surgery on his collarbone, but the operation will be postponed due to precautions related to the concussion. Tadej remains under the care of the medical team, and we will provide further updates after the surgery.”
Pogacar was leading the Vuelta with a significant advantage and was widely tipped to win the title, completing a career hat-trick of Grand Tour victories. He clambered back onto his bike after the fall but could not continue and walked to the ambulance. Race organizers confirmed his withdrawal.
Television images showed Pogacar with cuts on his head, left arm, and shoulder. He swerved to the right, clipping other riders as he tried to avoid an obstacle on the road, then lost control, flew over the handlebars, and slammed his head and shoulder onto the tarmac.
UAE Team Emirates sports director Matxin Joxean Fernandez said after the stage that Pogacar had required several stitches to his eyebrow and other wounds. He said: “No one is to blame... It's just one of those unfortunate things that happen in cycling. At first he wanted to continue, but we saw he was in a lot of pain in his shoulder, and we decided he couldn't go on.”
With Pogacar out, Enric Mas of Movistar took over the race leader's red jersey. He became the first Spanish rider to lead the race since Jesus Herrada in 2018. However, Mas did not wear the red jersey during the presentation ceremony, merely holding it up and saying: “Receiving the red jersey after a crash is not a good feeling. We will try to defend it tomorrow, but tonight we need to take in what happened and give all our support to Tadej.”
This was Pogacar's tenth Grand Tour appearance and the first time he has failed to finish one. Previously, he had never finished lower than third in a major tour. The three-week race concludes in Granada on September 13.
