Race leader Tadej Pogacar pulls out of Spanish Vuelta after crashing during Stage 8

Five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar has pulled out of the Spanish Vuelta after crashing during the eighth stage of the race. XERACO, Spain (AP) — Five-time Tour de France champion and overwhelming favorite Tadej Pogacar pulled out of the Spanish Vuelta after crashing during the eighth stage of the race on Saturday.The Slovenian held a big lead in the race but got caught in a crash about 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) from the finish. He tried to get back on his bike but could not carry on and walked to an ambulance.

Race organizers confirmed he pulled out of the race.The UAE Team Emirates leader was trying to become the ninth male rider to win all three Grand Tour races. Pogacar won the Tour de France for a third straight time and a record-tying fifth overall in July, and he claimed the Giro d’Italia win in 2024. He had not raced in the Vuelta since making his Grand Tour debut at the event in 2019.TV footage showed Pogacar with cuts on his head as well as his left arm and shoulder.

Pogacar swerved to his right, into other cyclists, as he appeared to try to avoid something in the road. The Tour de France champion lost control and flew over his handlebars, hitting his head and shoulder.UAE Team Emirates sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernandez said after the stage that Pogacar had needed stitches in his eyebrow and elsewhere.“It's no one's responsibility. It’s simply one of those things that happens in cycling, unfortunately,” Fernandez said.

“He initially wanted to keep going, but we saw he was in a lot of pain in his shoulder and decided he couldn’t continue. There isn’t much else to say.“After seven days Tadej was happy and it’s a very big shame for him, cycling is about good and bad and (we hope) Tadej recovers as soon as possible because hopefully it’s not something too bad, we’re not going to think about that right now but we’ll see what the doctor says.”Pogacar — who had led since winning the opening stage — had an advantage of 3 minutes, 50 minutes over Enric Mas of Movistar before Saturday's stage, which did not feature any major difficulty and offered sprinters a chance to shine along a flat 171-kilometer (106-mile) route from Puçol to Xeraco. Bryan Coquard, from the Cofidis team, claimed the stage win ahead of Mads Pedersen and Jordi Meeus.Mas took the race leader's jersey from Pogacar, becoming the first Spanish rider to lead the race since Jesus Herrada in 2018.

Felix Gall stood second overall, 1:11 off the pace, with Primoz Roglic in third place.The 31-year-old Mas did … Race leader abandons after crash on SaturdayPogacar taken away in ambulance with shoulder injuryRace leader Tadej Pogacar pulled out of the Vuelta a España on Saturday after a heavy fall 31km from the finish of a flat stage eight left him with shoulder and face injuries.Pogacar, of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, has won five Tour de France titles and a Giro d’Italia and was targeting his first overall victory in the Spanish 21-day race to join an elite group to have won all three grand tours. Race leader Tadej Pogacar pulls out of the Vuelta a Espana after crashing during stage eight of the three-week race.