For Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar, the Vuelta a España is over following a heavy crash. The Slovenian road cycling world champion took a head-first tumble on the eighth stage, a good 32 kilometres from the finish in Xeraco, and was forced to withdraw. Pogacar, who injured his left shoulder and also suffered a bleeding wound to his head, was taken away in an ambulance.
The 27-year-old was well on his way to winning the Vuelta for the first time. Having secured three stage victories, he was already 3 minutes and 50 seconds ahead of the Spaniard Enric Mas in the general classification ahead of the eighth stage. The Vuelta a España is the only Grand Tour still missing from Pogacar’s list of victories. At the end of July, he had won the Tour for the fifth time, and he also won the Giro d’Italia in 2024.
Following the crash, it is also unclear whether Pogacar will be able to defend his World Championship title at the championships in Montreal in September. The exceptional rider had won the World Championship road race in both 2024 and 2025.
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