Tadej Pogacar, the dominant race leader and reigning world champion, is officially out of the Vuelta a Espana after a horrific crash forced him to abandon Saturday’s eighth stage. He’s now facing surgery for a broken collarbone and dealing with a concussion, a massive blow to a rider aiming to complete a full set of Grand Tour victories.
The Crash That Shook the Peloton
Pogacar crashed with about 33km remaining in the stage, just when things were getting wild. He was riding right in the middle of the peloton when he suddenly swerved to his right, collided with another rider, and then got hit from behind by multiple others. It was a chaotic mess, and Pogacar, after initially trying to get back on his bike, shook his head and sat down. He was taken to the hospital, and the news wasn’t good. UAE Team Emirates’ medical director, Dr. Adrian Rotunno, confirmed Pogacar suffered a broken left clavicle (collarbone) that will require surgery, a concussion, a “stable” fracture in his neck, and multiple abrasions. Thankfully, Dr. Rotunno noted “no other major injuries and no neurological fallout,” but the clavicle surgery is delayed due to concussion precautions. This marks the first time Pogacar has ever abandoned a Grand Tour.
Chaos Continues, New Leaders Emerge
Before the crash, Pogacar was the overwhelming favorite to win the three-week race, holding a commanding lead of three minutes 50 seconds over Spaniard Enric Mas in second place. His exit completely blows open the general classification! The chaotic nature of the day wasn’t limited to Pogacar’s crash, either. Another collision happened in the finishing straight, but amidst all that, France’s Bryan Coquard finally claimed his first stage win in a Grand Tour, edging out Lidl-Trek rider Mads Pedersen in a photo finish. “I think it has been 13 years, it has been a lot of work and I have finished second a lot of times,” Coquard told TNT Sports, clearly emotional. “I have not been in good positions in the first two sprints, I know I have good legs. Maybe I climb better now, I am fast again.” With Pogacar out, Movistar rider Mas now leads the general classification by one minute 11 seconds over Decathlon CMA CGM rider Felix Gall. Mas, the first Spaniard to lead the Vuelta since Jesus Herrada in 2018, showed respect for his fallen rival, holding the red jersey instead of wearing it on the podium. “It’s a real shame,” Mas said about Pogacar. “I hope he gets better quickly. We’ve still got a few races left and I hope he’ll be in good shape for them.”
This is a gut punch for Pogacar, a six-time Grand Tour winner who already had five Tours de France and a Giro d’Italia under his belt. He became the joint most successful Tour de France champion just last month and was aiming to be only the ninth rider to win all three Grand Tours. The guy has won almost everything, from 13 one-day monument races like the Tour of Flanders (three times) and Il Lombardia (five times) to Milan-San Remo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. His historic quest is now on pause.
Pogacar remains under the care of his medical team, and we’ll await further updates after his surgery. Meanwhile, the Vuelta a Espana barrels on, suddenly wide open and even more unpredictable than anyone could’ve imagined. Who’s gonna seize this opportunity? You know we’ll be watching!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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