Tadej Pogacar, the current race leader, has withdrawn from the Vuelta a Espana following a crash approximately 33km from the finish of stage eight. The 27-year-old world champion was riding within the peloton when he fell, sustaining a cut to the left side of his face and an injury to his left shoulder.
Although the Slovenian rider attempted to remount his bike, he ultimately decided to stop and walked into an ambulance unaided. This marks the first time in his career that the six-time Grand Tour winner has been forced to abandon a major three-week race.
Pogacar entered the stage as the heavy favorite, holding a commanding lead of three minutes and 50 seconds over his closest rival. His exit ends his current bid to secure all three of cycling’s premier stage races, having already claimed five Tour de France titles and one Giro d’Italia victory. The report also notes that who was looking to complete a full set of Grand Tour victories, crashed with about 33km to go, the world champion.
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