‘He wanted to continue’: Matxin details Pogacar’s Vuelta exit and leaves door open for Worlds

It was only moments later, as the pain in his shoulder became increasingly severe, that it became clear his race was over.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager Joxean Fernández Matxin described the immediate aftermath of the crash after the stage, revealing that Pogačar initially believed he could continue before the extent of the problem became apparent.

“In the first moment, he wanted to continue, but after that came the shoulder pain.” Matxin told reporters, including Domestique.

Pogačar had crashed after hitting a rock on the road while riding near the front of the peloton. He was quickly surrounded by team staff and teammates, with television images showing him attempting to recover from the impact.

The reaction from UAE was immediate. Matxin said all seven of Pogačar’s teammates stopped after the crash rather than simply riding on.

“All the team stopped to remain with Tadej,” he said, before stressing what Pogačar has given the team over the years. “Tadej gives a lot of victories to his teammates, to this team.”

For Matxin, the priority was no longer the race itself. “I focus only on Tadej today,” he said. “We will stay with Tadej.”

Pogačar was taken away for further examination, with Matxin confirming after the stage that the Slovenian was already in hospital.

“In hospital,” he replied when asked where Pogačar had been taken.

UAE will now wait for a clearer medical assessment before drawing conclusions about the consequences of the crash.

That uncertainty also hangs over Pogačar’s plans for the remainder of the season, although Matxin was not yet prepared to rule out a return. Speaking to Eurosport, he even left the door open for the World Championships.

“Why not think about the World Championships?” Matxin said. “We’ll see what the doctors say and draw conclusions after the medical report.”