INEOS Grenadiers forced to see key lieutenant on the sidelines after Valenciana crash

Stage 1 of the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana was marked by the crash of Mads Pedersen which has left him with two fractures and is jeopardizing his form for the spring classics. However the Dane was not the only rider to suffer from a fall on the opening day of the race, as INEOS Grenadiers' Tobias Foss has suffered the same faith and has had to pull out of the race.

Five riders did not finish stage 1 of the race and amongst them was Foss, who was also withdrawing from the race without a clear reason at first. But as was the case with Pedersen, it has been learnt that the Norwegian rider crashed during the opening day. He has suffered a scapula fracture as a result of this fall.

In a statement shared on social media, INEOS Grenadiers wrote the following: "Unfortunately, Tobias Foss won’t take the start of today’s stage two after a crash yesterday at #VCV2026. He was assessed at a local hospital, where a fracture to his right scapula was confirmed. Tobias has since been discharged and will continue his recovery under the care of the INEOS Grenadiers medical team.

Foss joined INEOS Grenadiers in 2024 after a few years at Team Visma | Lease a Bike where he had initially hoped to transition into a Grand Tour specialist, but ended up becoming time trial World Champion. The 28-year old was the winner in Wollongong 2022, and INEOS took the opportunity to sign him into 2024, joining Filippo Ganna as the British team looked to dominate the time trial scene.

That hasn't come to light since, but the Norwegian has won the opening stage of the 2024 Tour of the Alps, and has been part of Grand Tour lineups as well as spearheading the British team's new mode of aggressive racing. His 2025 season ended after withdrawing from the Renewi Tour in August, but he is now set for more time off the peloton for the time being.