Tadej Pogacar has provided a personal update from his hospital bed following the heavy crash that forced his withdrawal from the Vuelta a España on Saturday. The Slovenian cycling star shared an image on Instagram showing him wearing a neck brace and sporting a plaster near his right eyebrow. Despite the severity of the incident, he appeared to be in good spirits, soundtracking the post with the 1977 disco anthem Stayin’ Alive while he awaits surgery for a fractured collarbone.
The 27-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider was leading the race by 3 minutes and 50 seconds before the accident occurred during the eighth stage near the town of Xeraco. Medical reports confirmed that Pogacar suffered a concussion, a displaced left clavicle fracture, a stable C7 cervical fracture, and multiple abrasions. While his team noted there was no neurological fallout, his participation in the upcoming world championships in Canada remains in doubt.
As the race continued, Enric Mas seized the opportunity to extend his overall lead by winning the mountainous ninth stage. The Movistar rider secured the victory on the 187.4km route from Villajoyosa to Alto de Aitana, ending his team’s five-year win drought at their home Grand Tour. “Now I understand Tadej – the red jersey gives you wings,” Mas remarked, adding that he felt he was in the best form of his career.
In the general classification, Primoz Roglic now sits 1 minute and 18 seconds behind Mas, having finished third on the stage. Austria’s Felix Gall moved into third place overall, trailing by 1 minute and 39 seconds. Meanwhile, Oscar Onley, who leads the best young rider classification, climbed to fourth place, while former winner Sepp Kuss dropped to seventh after finishing 1 minute and 44 seconds behind the stage winner.
Separately, Tom Pidcock claimed the mountain bike cross-country world title on Sunday and dedicated the victory to the late Fin Tarling, a 19-year-old cyclist who died in a crash in Portugal earlier this month. Pidcock, who was a teammate of Tarling’s brother Josh in 2023, expressed his grief, stating, “I don’t have much words to be honest, it was a hard road here after the Tour. I want to dedicate this win to Fin Tarling, to Josh.”
The Vuelta a España is now entering its first rest day on Monday. The competition is scheduled to resume on Tuesday with a 187.5km hilly stage stretching from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra in south-east Spain. The report also notes that as well as on his right hand, which he held in his usual gesture of raising his index finger and little finger, the Slovenian five-time Tour de France winner could also be seen with a plaster near his right eyebrow. The report also notes that so I dedicate it to him and his family.’ Agence France-Presse, seeing him start the Vuelta was pretty incredible. The report also notes that just over 30km from the finish line in the Valencian town of Xeraco, a stage that was initially expected to be transitional, pogacar crashed on Saturday during the eighth stage of the Vuelta. The report also notes that and was the overwhelming favourite for victory in his attempt to complete a career clean sweep of the three Grand Tours, the 27-year-old had been leading by a massive 3min 50sec a week into the race. The report also notes that no other major injuries and no neurological fallout”, uAE’s statement added that there were “fortunately. The report also notes that but it seems unlikely he will be fit to defend his world title in late September in Canada, the team has not specified how long Pogacar will be out of action. The report also notes that “The team was 10 out of 10, we controlled the situation really well and I felt good in the finish.”.
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