"You could see immediately that it was an extremely heavy crash" - Wout Van Aert wishes for Tadej Pogacar's swift recovery
CyclingSaturday, 29 August 2026 at 20:24
Rather than for its winner Bryan Coquard, the eighth stage of 2026 Vuelta a Espana will be remembered because of Tadej Pogacar's heavy crash which saw the bloodied Slovenian abandon the race in a lot of pain. For Visma | Lease a Bike, it wasn't a great day either; Ben Tulett was involved in the same crash and Matthew Brennan failed to get any result inthe bunch sprint.
Wout Van Aert's main job today was setting up Christophe Laporte and Matthew Brennan for their effort in the final kilometer, but the young Brit, perhaps afraid of further crashes. was unable to find himself a proper position to sprint and crossed finish line in 10th place.
But the most important event of the day unfolded right after the bonification sprint - where Van Aert took full points - 30 kilometers from the finish line. The situation seemed to have already calmed down after the nervous run in, when the race leader Tadej Pogacar suddenly crashed, taking along two of Van Aert's teammates.
It was a heavy crash
Van Aert, who was riding near the Slovenian at the time, saw it happen from the front row. "I think Tadej was moving up on the left and, as I could see, lost control of his handlebars due to an unevenness in the road," Van Aert said afterwards to VTM NIEUWS. "That’s how he lost his balance, steered into the peloton, and did a serious somersault.”
"You could see immediately that it was an extremely heavy crash," Van Aert said about the fall. "I also had two teammates in front of me who were lying there, and at a moment like that you briefly forget that you are in the race."
"It is not up to me to draw conclusions about his injury," said Van Aert. "I hope it isn’t too serious and that he can recover well and ride without pain again soon. I know what it is like to be injured and I think the rest of the season is the least of his worries. Hopefully he will be back soon, but we’ll have to wait and see."
Tadej Pogacar following his crash on stage 8 of La Vuelta
The extent of the damage indeed remains to be seen. Race doctor Álvaro Ortiz told Spanish RTVE that there is a concussion, a possible fracture of the left collarbone, and various other injuries.
Read also
"Riders are getting tired"
The eighth stage did not seem like it would be a thrilling experience, rather a first real bunch sprint opportunity. But it turned out to be a stage marked by crashes which spanned since neutral zone until the final sprint. What seems to be the reason?
"The riders are getting tired. The neutralization was already stressful and that went on all day. Pogacar’s crash is a big loss in this race; it is something we don’t see often. We will miss him. Before the crash, I was still able to pick up some points, so I was ready to fight for the green jersey with him and the other competitors. It is a shame for the race that he is no longer with us," concluded Van Aert.
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Absolutely gutted to see Pogi go out like this. From the helicopter it was hard to understand what happened. Commentators were saying maybe he was hit from behind. Now I’ve seen on IG:Luca yclingblog (front view) that it was a rock that brought him down. Head trauma and possible broken collarbone. He’s not coming back this year. So sad.Pedalmasher29-08-2026
- It looked like just terrible luck…a big piece of asphalt or a rock on the road. Going 50 km/h inside the peloton, no chance of seeing it until it’s on your wheel.DAS29-08-2026
- Damn.
MarkFour29-08-2026 - Hope it’s nothing too serious but this had to happen one day, luck has been generous long enough. Weird it happened after so much talk of his mental state, did recent days affect him more than a 5am drug test? Guess we’ll see a new side of the Mou or his latest impersonator now.Mistermaumau29-08-2026
- Possibly concussion too? That could take longer to heal.Hills3329-08-2026
- Hate to see this - it’s a brutal reminder that nothing is certain until the final finish lineCrashjames29-08-2026
- Correction: Seeing Tadej in the ambulance puts everything into perspective. Forget the Worlds, I just hope he's okay. That looks awful.anonymouscyclist29-08-2026
- Massive respect to Mas, it was incredibly honourable of him to decline the red jersey. Refusing to after a rival's misfortune shows real integrity and class. That being said, Mas has ridden a flawless race from the start. If anyone deserves that jersey after Tadej, it is him. At the same time, you have to feel for Tadej. It would be a heartbreak if this derails his shot at a Triple World Champs.anonymouscyclist29-08-2026
- Yep, that a break, when you break a bone it knocks you' and he was on his knees and he's been VERY LUCKY in cycling upto now with what he's a achieved ! he'll heal fast
leedorney29-08-2026 - Yep, that a break, when you break a bone it knocks you' and he was on his knees and he's been VERY LUCKY in cycling upto now with what he's a achieved ! he'll heal fastleedorney29-08-2026
Loading
Write a comment