UAE boss Maxtin is waiting for doctor's diagnosis before ruling Pogačar out of World Championships: 'Then we’ll draw our conclusions'

A somber mood prevailed at UAE Emirates-XRG after Stage 8 of the Vuelta a España. The team lost its leader, Tadej Pogacar, following a nasty crash. Pogacar’s seven support riders crossed the finish line together as the very last group, and team manager Joxean Matxin spoke to Eurosport about the incident.

Pogacar’s crash happened as the race neared the finish, and a rock on the road quickly turned out to be the problem. The Slovenian fell hard on his face and left shoulder, and although he wanted to try to continue for a moment, it soon became clear that something was seriously wrong, particularly with his shoulder. The world champion’s face was also badly bruised, so he had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance.

The entire UAE Emirates-XRG team waited until it became clear that Pogacar could not continue. The remaining seven support riders made no further effort to chase and crossed the finish line together, more than 11 minutes behind winner Bryan Coquard. Defeated, broken, and in tears.

Even the usually cheerful Matxin was visibly shaken when he gave his account in Spanish after the race. The UAE support staff member was the first to reach Pogacar, but quickly realised that continuing wasn’t an option. “This isn’t anyone’s fault; crashes like this just happen in cycling. Tadej wanted to keep going, but his shoulder was in a lot of pain.”

"In the end, we decided he wouldn't continue," said Matxin, who saw not only Pogačar's shoulder but also his face. “His eyebrow will need stitches; he was bleeding heavily, even though the wound wasn’t very large. Tadej, however, mainly mentioned pain in his shoulder. He tried to stand up and then realised he needed to support his arm.”

In the end, the decision was made to withdraw from the race. “That’s a tough blow to take, but well… It’s also a source of motivation for the whole team. Tadej has already given us so many victories; now we hope, as a team, to be able to dedicate many victories to Tadej,” he said, sounding ambitious right away.

The Spaniard regained his composure during the interview and concluded with some poignant words: “In cycling, you always face either good times or bad.” Now, as a team, we need to be there for Tadej, pull together, and recover as quickly as possible. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious, so he can recover in time for the World Championships. We’ll wait for the doctors’ diagnosis, and then we’ll draw our conclusions.”