Pogačar abandons La Vuelta 2026 after a heavy crash in stage 8

La Vuelta a España 2026 has just undergone a complete turnaround. Tadej Pogačar has been forced to abandon the race after suffering an inexplicable fall during the eighth stage, while wearing the leader's jersey and holding a significant lead in the general classification.

Pogačar could not continue after the fall and withdraws from La Vuelta

The accident occurred about 32 kilometers from the finish. Pogačar was riding in the peloton and went down after a sharpener caused a crash involving several riders, and he quickly found himself surrounded by his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates and the race medical assistance.

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The first images made it clear that the impact had been significant. The Slovenian lay on the asphalt for several minutes and had numerous wounds and blood as a result of the impact.

La IMAGEN DEL AÑO en el ciclismo y sin duda entre las más impactantes del deporte este 2026

El momento en el que Pogacar, con el brazo en cabestrillo, ha tenido que retirarse en ambulancia de #LaVuelta26 pic.twitter.com/2z8Rv0iqIS

— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) August 29, 2026

Pogačar initially managed to get to his feet, but shortly after had to sit down again while medical examinations continued. Visibly affected and in tears, it was finally confirmed that he was not in a condition to return to the bike. The leader of La Vuelta ended up getting into the ambulance and definitively leaving the race.

The withdrawal comes as Pogačar was clearly dominating La Vuelta. After achieving three stage victories during the first week, the Slovenian faced this eighth day as the leader of the general classification with a 3:50 lead over Enric Mas.

Additionally, he was in second place in the points classification, just two points behind Wout van Aert, and led the mountain classification with a ten-point margin over Andreas Leknessund.

Enric Mas takes the lead in La Vuelta

Pogačar's exit from the race completely changes the landscape of La Vuelta 2026. Enric Mas, who started the day second in the general classification, now takes the virtual lead, and the battle for the final victory is wide open.

The withdrawal also represents an unusual occurrence in Pogačar's recent career. The Slovenian had not been forced to abandon a race since the Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2023, where another fall resulted in a wrist fracture and prematurely ended his participation.

Now the priority is to determine the extent of the injuries suffered in this new fall. So far, no definitive diagnosis has been communicated, so we will have to wait for the medical report from UAE Team Emirates-XRG to understand the consequences of the accident and whether they may affect his upcoming goals.