In what seemed like a calm stage for the peloton in the Vuelta a España, the worst happened: Slovenian Tadej Pogacar suffered a violent accident in the eighth stage and was forced to withdraw after a hit to his left shoulder.
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Stage 8, 171 kilometers between the towns of Puçol and Xeraco, seemed like a transition for the group of favorites until an accident shook the entire race scenario. With 31 kilometers to the finish line, the Slovenian was riding with the peloton and crashed.
Tadej Pogacar withdraws
Pogacar, who was comfortably leading the general classification before the start of the stage, lost balance, veered to the right side, collided with a rival, and fell violently to the ground.
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After the accident, the UAE Team Emirates rider tried to get up but appeared very disoriented. Immediately, he held his left shoulder and had to be assisted on the road due to a cut on his eyebrow and several wounds on his face. While the cyclist was being assisted, the men in the peloton slowed down to wait for him; however, Tadej Pogacar could not rejoin the race.
The Slovenian tried to get back on the bike to continue, but the pain in his shoulder prevented him. Amid tears, and after a second attempt to get back up, he got into an ambulance and his withdrawal was confirmed.
It is the first time in Tadej Pogacar‘s sporting career that he is forced to withdraw from one of cycling’s grand tours. Until this race, the Slovenian had competed in seven Tours de France, one Giro d’Italia, and one Vuelta a España, and he stood on the podium in all of them.
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Unpromising outlook
If the clavicle fracture is confirmed, the Slovenian would miss the World Cycling Championship in Montreal (Canada) and the Giro di Lombardia, the last goals he had left in a season in which he was aiming for the triple crown in the three grand tours, as the Vuelta a España is the only one missing from his palmarès.
The race scenario changed abruptly now with two weeks still of competition. The fight for the general classification title reopened after the withdrawal of a Slovenian who was comfortably dominating. The Spaniard Enric Mas became the new leader of a race that will be contested with a very particular disappointment.
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