Another blow for UAE Team Emirates - XRG at Vuelta a Espana - Climber forced to abandon less than 24 hours after Tadej Pogacar crash

Cycling
Monday, 31 August 2026 at 09:30
Pablo Torres UAE 2026 1
UAE Team Emirates XRG suffered another setback on Sunday at La Vuelta a España. Less than 24 hours after the withdrawal of Tadej Pogačar, race leader until his heavy crash on stage 8, Pablo Torres was also forced to step off during stage 9, which finished at Alto de Aitana. The 20-year-old from Madrid was riding his first Grand Tour and had been one of the team’s key climbers.
Torres abandoned in the opening kilometres, after losing contact on the first ascent. RTVE’s images already suggested something was wrong. The rider appeared stern and visibly affected, an image that caught the commentators’ attention.
“When I saw him stopped, something was up. It didn’t look like he’d just pulled over from fatigue,” Joaquim Rodríguez noted on the broadcast.
The TV impression matched what was unfolding on the road. Torres did not seem merely distanced by the pace, but showed signs of being physically unwell. In the end, the Madrilenian confirmed the worst feelings and abandoned a Vuelta that marked his debut in a three-week race.

Torres dealing with knee pain at the Vuelta

According to reports published on Sunday, Torres had been dealing with a leg issue, unrelated to the discomfort in his previously operated knee.
His withdrawal carries added weight because of its timing. Barely a day earlier, UAE had lost its talisman. Pogačar suffered a heavy crash around 32 kilometres from the finish in Xeraco while wearing the red jersey and had to leave the race.
Among other injuries, the Slovenian sustained a displaced collarbone fracture and a stable cervical fracture, as well as a concussion.

End of the race for a standout rider

Torres had been one of the most prominent support riders for Pogačar in the opening stages, especially when the road tilted up.
His retirement further weakens a structure now facing week two without its leader, after the race turned on its head in barely 24 hours.
The sporting and emotional blow is clear. UAE loses another key piece just as the high mountains begin and after a day that was meant to gauge how the team would respond to Pogačar’s traumatic exit.
Torres, who sat 24th overall before stopping, leaves La Vuelta with the experience of having raced among the best for the first time, but also with the frustration of being unable to complete a promising debut.
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