Mathias Vacek keeps white jersey despite collision with spectator: "It’s a bit annoying that some people just don’t care and don’t let the riders pass"
Cycling
Mathias Vacek impressed with second time in the opening time trial of Vuelta a Espana, which granted him the privilege of riding around in the White jersey. And the young Lidl-Trek rider made the headlines again in stage two as he was brought down by an inattentive bystander on last nervous climb of the stage. Naturally, brimming with emotions, Vacek had a few choice words towards this "fan". But afterwards he jumped back on his bike and managed to catch up to the front group.
"I crashed on the last climb with 20km to go. Just some fans standing on the road. They touched me and I came down. It’s a bit annoying that some people just don’t care and don’t let the riders pass with some space, but that’s how it is. I came safe into the finish and I’m happy that I’m OK."
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"I needed to do a big effort to come back to the group, but I still could make it in such a good time and I could recover a bit. But I didn’t have the power anymore for the finish. It is how it is. For sure, I wanted to fight for the Red Jersey also at the finish and to do a good result, but with the crash and the effort I needed to put in, I didn’t have the legs anymore. I’m happy that I could at least keep the white jersey."
Wout Van Aert jumps into the red jersey after today's stage, moving Vacek down a spot into third overall with five-second disadvantage on the Belgian.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
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- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
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#LaVuelta24 Vacek finishes safely and retains the white jersey, despite the earlier crash 😮💨
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