The Race Leader Everyone Thought Would Win By "A Country Mile" Just Crashed Out Of The Vuelta — And Cycling Fans Are DEVASTATED 🚴

Stop everything. The cycling world is in SHOCK right now because Tadej Pogacar — the overwhelming race leader and literal world champion — has abandoned the Vuelta a Espana after crashing during stage eight. Yes, really.

This is the first time Pogacar has EVER abandoned a Grand Tour. Ever.

What Happened? 😭

According to BBC Sport, the 27-year-old Slovenian was riding in the middle of the peloton with about 33km to go when he came off his bike and crashed hard.

He hurt his left shoulder and cut the left side of his face. The footage shows him trying to get back on his bike before sitting back down again — and then walking into an ambulance.

And here's what makes it even more devastating: Pogacar had started the stage with a three-minute and 50-second lead over second place. He was untouchable. BBC Sport's Matt Warwick literally wrote that "Pogacar was going to win the Vuelta a Espana by a country mile" and that his margin of victory could have been more than 10 minutes.

The Dream That Just Died 💔

This wasn't just any race for Pogacar. The six-time Grand Tour winner was on course to become only the ninth rider ever to win all three of cycling's biggest races — the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a Espana.

He'd already won five Tours de France (becoming the joint most successful Tour de France champion of all time last month) and one Giro d'Italia. The Vuelta was the missing piece.

The Tea ☕

• Pogacar crashed with 33km to go in stage eight while leading by nearly 4 minutes
• He hurt his left shoulder and cut his face, then walked into an ambulance
• It's the FIRST time he's ever abandoned a Grand Tour in his career
• He was trying to complete the full set of Grand Tour victories
• Spain's Enric Mas now leads the race

The New Leader Didn't Even Want To Celebrate 😢

Spain's Enric Mas, who had been in second place, now leads the general classification by one minute and 11 seconds. He's the first Spaniard to lead the Vuelta since 2018.

But when Mas was presented with the red leader's jersey on the podium? He refused to wear it. Instead, he held it in front of him as a mark of respect.

"It's a real shame," Mas told reporters about Pogacar. "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."

That's class. That's pure sportsmanship right there.

What This Means 🤔

Pogacar rarely crashes — his bike handling is legendary in the sport. "He never seems to have to wrestle with the handlebars or ever wobble his way down a descent," BBC Sport notes. So this is genuinely shocking.

The good news? There's still plenty of time in his career to tackle the Vuelta again. The bad news? It's unclear if he'll be fit enough to defend his world champion's rainbow jersey at next month's Road World Championships in Canada.

Meanwhile, the race that was basically decided suddenly has at least six riders who now have a genuine shot at winning.

In a chaotic day all around, stage eight was won by France's Bryan Coquard in a photo finish — his first ever stage win in a Grand Tour after 13 years of trying. (Some good news, at least!)

The Bottom Line

Pogacar is one of the most dominant cyclists of this generation. He's won almost every major race in the sport — three Tour of Flanders titles, five Il Lombardia wins, four Liege-Bastogne-Liege victories, plus 13 one-day monument races total.

But cycling is cruel sometimes. One moment of bad luck, one wrong position in the peloton, and even the greatest rider in the world is out.

We're sending all the good vibes for a speedy recovery. And honestly? We're already looking forward to his comeback story. 💪

Do you think Pogacar will come back and win the Vuelta next year, or will this haunt him? Let us know below!

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Sources:

• BBC Sport: Leader Pogacar abandons Vuelta after crash