Tadej Pogacar abandons Tour of Spain after serious fall

Imperial until then, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, ultra-favorite in the Tour of Spain and well ahead of the general classification, was forced to abandon the race on Saturday after a heavy fall during the eighth stage, pushing back his hopes of a hat-trick in the Grand Tours. The Slovenian ogre, five-time winner of the Tour de France, fell in the peloton on the left side of the road, 32 kilometers from the finish of the stage in Xeraco, near Valence, won in a sprint by the Frenchman Bryan Coquard.

A spectacular fall which caused great damage. The Slovenian suffers from a displaced fracture of the left clavicle, a cervical fracture, a concussion and multiple abrasions. In a statement, Dr. Adrian Rotunno, Medical Director of UAE Team Emirates, said: “Unfortunately, Tadej suffered a heavy fall during today's stage and was unable to continue the race. He is stable, and following a thorough medical examination at the hospital, he was diagnosed with a concussion, a displaced left clavicle fracture, a stable C7 cervical fracture, and multiple abrasions.

And to continue: “Fortunately, no other serious injuries and no neurological after-effects. He will require collarbone surgery which will be delayed due to concussion precautions. Tadej remains under the care of our medical team and we will provide further updates following surgery.”