Overview
- Pogacar crashed while wearing the red jersey and was taken by ambulance to a Valencia hospital after an accident that television footage and multiple reports place on Saturday during stage 8.
- Team and race doctors say he is stable but diagnosed with a concussion, a displaced fracture of the left clavicle, a stable C7 cervical fracture and multiple abrasions.
- UAE Team Emirates confirmed clavicle surgery is needed but will be postponed as a precaution because of the head injury, which casts serious doubt on his ability to race at the World Championships in Montreal.
- Enric Mas inherited the race lead and declined to wear the red jersey on the podium as a gesture of respect, leaving the general classification open and the Vuelta more contested.
- Accounts differ on what caused the fall—some reports say a stone on the roadside, others describe wheel contact with another rider—so the exact trigger remains unconfirmed while medical and team updates continue.