Only One Hand on the Bars at 60kph: New Details in Tadej Pogačar’s Devastating Vuelta Crash

Tadej Pogačar surfaced from his hospital bed Sunday morning wearing a neck brace, a bandage above his eyebrow and cuts across his face and hand after the brutal crash that ended his Vuelta a España.

The injured superstar struck a defiant pose, flashing a sign-of-the-horns gesture in an Instagram story set to the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.”

While Pogačar hasn’t publicly spoken yet, new  details have emerged about the brutal high-speed crash that left him with a concussion, a displaced fracture of his left collarbone, and a stable C7 cervical fracture.

Joxean Fernández Matxín, UAE Emirates-XRG’s sport manager, confirmed that Pogačar was drinking from a water bottle when he crashed Saturday with around 40km remaining in stage 8.

“He was drinking water, so he had one hand on the bottle and another on the handlebar, so the fact that he only had one hand on the handlebar was decisive in the crash,” Matxín told Velo at the start of stage 9 Sunday.

Broadcast images appeared to show Pogačar’s front wheel striking a dark object on the roadway. It remains unclear whether the object, described variously as a rock, debris or even a piece of equipment, caused the crash.

Matxín’s account provides a crucial new detail because with one hand occupied by the bidon, Pogačar had less control from the impact when his front wheel folded beneath him and pitched the race leader violently onto the pavement.

Pogačar is a world-class bike handler who can float across the pavé of Paris-Roubaix and attack the most treacherous Alpine descents. But with only one hand on the bars, it’s much harder to control the bike if the front wheel hits a rock, pothole or other road hazard, even more so at nearly 60kph.

Pavel Sivakov, who was riding directly behind Pogačar, also said he saw the Slovenian handling a bottle immediately before the crash.

“I was just in his wheel when it happened,” Sivakov explained to reporters ahead of stage 9, including Domestique. “Actually, I could avoid it, but there was nothing I could have done there. I think he was drinking. It happened so fast, but he was just taking a bidon or putting it back. I don’t exactly remember, but I remember him taking a bidon at this moment, and that’s how he lost his balance so quickly.”

Pogačar awaiting surgery, no word on comeback

UAE confirmed Saturday night that Pogačar suffered a concussion, a displaced fracture of his left collarbone and a stable C7 cervical fracture, along with multiple cuts and abrasions.

The team said examinations found no neurological damage, a relief considering how brutal the high-speed impact was.

Pogačar was transported to a hospital in Barcelona, and Matxín said doctors planned to wait 24 hours following the head injury before operating on Pogačar’s collarbone.

“They are going to wait 24 hours for the blow to the head before operating on him,” Matxín said. “It’s too early to say anything about if he can return to race again this season.”

Matxín described the moment when he arrived at the crash scene, and Pogačar initially tried to stand and continue, but quickly realized the damage to his shoulder made that impossible.

“He tried to get up, and he was saying his arm hurt, saying ‘shoulder pain, shoulder pain,’ and I could see he was bleeding. When he tried to lift his arm to get back on the bike he realized he couldn’t continue,” Matxín said.

Ironically, the crash that took down the superstar came on one of the widest and least technically complicated sections of what was — at least on paper — the easiest stage so far in this Vuelta.

The peloton was regrouping on a wide stretch of double-lane highway after a tense succession of traffic islands and roundabouts, and was readying to take on the day’s final Cat. 3 climb before a reduced bunch kick.

“Of course, it’s a blow. We came to this Vuelta with Tadej is great shape, with many stages that suited him, with the idea of winning in Granada, and now, like a stone in the road, everything is changed,” Matxín said.

Pogačar’s exit also blew open a race that had appeared all but decided.

Enric Mas (Movistar), nearly four minutes behind the Slovenian before the crash, arrived at Sunday’s stage 9 start wearing the red leader’s jersey, with six riders now packed within 2:22 on the overall standings.

‘The worst-possible scenario’

UAE teammate Kevin Vermaerke was riding ahead of Pogačar when he heard the crash behind him at close to 60kph.

“I was in front of him, there were three of us. I heard a crash behind, we were going 55-60kph. It was a hectic moment and then on the radio we heard that Tadej crashed and we all stopped,” Vermaerke told Velo. “When you don’t hear anything on the radio and he’s not coming back, you know it’s not great.”

Vermaerke said the available footage did not establish whether the mysterious black object on the road brought down Pogačar.

“There are probably a thousand rocks on the roads that are being closed an hour or two before we come through. It’s impossible to make the roads completely clean for the 180 kilometers we race every day,” he said.

Once it became clear Pogačar would not return, Vermaerke and his UAE teammates regrouped and rode somberly toward the finish behind the peloton.

“We were all a bit in shock that it all happened so quick. Tadej is our team leader but he is also a friend of ours. He’s the one that makes us laugh at the dinner table and motivates us,” he said. “It’s a big loss to have him leave, but we have a good team, we want to make him proud.”

The crash instantly destroyed UAE’s central objective for the 2026 Vuelta. Pogačar had led the race since the opening stage and appeared firmly in control of the red jersey.

“It was a devastating day for us. We came here with one clear goal to win with Tadej and that’s the cruelty of cycling that in one split second on the easiest day so far with 40km to go and you don’t expect anything to happen, and the worst-possible scenario happens and our race changed instantly.”

Vermaerke said now UAE will start unleashing attacks to try to win a stage to honor Pogačar.

Vermaerke and three of his teammates wasted no time, and rode into the day’s main breakaway in Sunday’s uphill finale.