Pogačar's Vuelta Crash Linked to One-Handed Riding, Surgery Delayed

Tadej Pogačar was taken to a Barcelona hospital on Saturday after a crash with about 40 km left in stage 8 of the Vuelta a España. Team manager Joxean Fernández Matxín told Velo that the rider was drinking from a water bottle at the time, leaving only one hand on the handlebar, which he said reduced his control when his front wheel hit an object on the road. Fellow rider Pavel Sivakov, who was directly behind Pogačar, confirmed he saw the rider handling a bidon moments before the incident.

UAE Emirates-XRG confirmed that Pogačar sustained a concussion, a displaced fracture of his left collarbone, a stable C7 cervical fracture and multiple cuts and abrasions. Examinations showed no neurological damage. The team said doctors will wait 24 hours after the head injury before operating on the collarbone, and no timetable has been set for a possible return to racing.

Matxín described Pogačar attempting to stand after the crash, noting the rider’s shoulder pain and bleeding prevented him from continuing. The crash occurred on a relatively flat, wide section of road, ahead of a short Category 3 climb.

UAE teammate Kevin Vermaerke, who was ahead of Pogačar when the accident happened, said the footage did not clarify whether a black object on the road caused the crash and highlighted the difficulty of keeping race routes completely clear of debris. The team’s leader in the general classification, Enric Mas, inherited the red jersey, with six riders now within 2:22 of the overall lead.

Vermaerke said the team will now focus on stage attacks to honor their leader, and they entered the main breakaway on the following day’s uphill finish.