Cycling-Pogacar forced to abandon Vuelta after stage eight crash, Mas takes overall lead

Tadej Pogacar's bid to complete cycling's Grand Tour ‌hat-trick came to a painful end at the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday when the race leader and five-time Tour de France winner crashed out with blood on his face and an injured shoulder.

Slovenian Pogacar, who has been wearing the red jersey since winning the first ‌stage, went down in the peloton with over 30 kilometres left in the ride from Pucol to Xeraco. A television replay ‌showed the 27-year-old swerving onto his right, colliding with another rider before going down. He was also hit by other riders coming from behind, a couple of whom also fell.

The 27-year-old tried to stand up and get back on his bike as his teammates stopped around him, but he sat back down as ⁠medics rushed ​to him. He later walked into an ⁠ambulance with his arm in a sling.

"Sadly Tadej Pogacar has been forced out... following a crash on stage eight," UAE Team Emirates-XRG posted on X, confirming ⁠their rider's withdrawal. Pogacar, who won his fifth Tour de France last month and had won the Giro d'Italia in 2024, was aiming for his ​first overall victory in the Vuelta to become the ninth rider to win all three European Grand Tours.

He began the ⁠stage with a lead of three minutes and 50 seconds over second-placed Enric Mas. Mas (Movistar) took the red jersey after stage eight, becoming the first Spaniard to lead ⁠the ​Vuelta since Jesus Herrada in 2018. Felix Gall is second overall, a minute and 11 seconds behind.

SUBDUED PODIUM Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) won the stage after several riders went down in another crash in the final kilometre. Mads Pedersen finished second while Jordi Meeus ⁠was third.

At the podium, a sombre Mas accepted the red jersey but did not wear it, holding it in front of him ⁠instead. "It’s a real shame," Mas ⁠said about Pogacar's crash.

"I hope he gets better quickly. We've still got a few races left and I hope he'll be in good shape for them." The race continues on Sunday with a 187.5 ‌km mountainous ride from ‌Villajoyosa to Alto de Aitana.