‘You forget you’re in the race’ - Van Aert describes ‘massive’ Pogacar Vuelta crash

Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) was riding close to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) when the Vuelta a España race leader crashed out of the race on stage 8, with the Belgian describing the incident as a “massive crash”.

Pogačar crashed with 32km remaining and was ultimately forced to abandon the Vuelta while wearing the red jersey. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) went on to win the stage in Xeraco, while Enric Mas (Movistar) moved into the overall lead.

“You could see right away that it was a massive crash,” Van Aert told media including Het Laatste Nieuws. “I think Tadej was moving up on the left side and, from what I could see, lost control of his handlebars due to an irregularity in the road surface.

“That caused him to lose his balance, steer into the peloton, and take a nasty tumble, flipping right over.”

The crash was the most serious incident on a stage that featured several crashes, including one during the neutralised start. 

Van Aert said the tension had been evident throughout the day, and his teammate Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) indicated that “A lot of people thought that they were superheroes today.”

“I also had two teammates lying on the ground ahead of me, and in a moment like that, you briefly forget you’re in the middle of a race,” he said.

“The riders are getting tired. The neutralised section was already stressful, and that tension continued throughout the day.”

Pogačar’s withdrawal has significantly altered the Vuelta’s different classifications. Mas now leads Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) by one minute, with Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) third at 1:11.

Additionally, Van Aert’s advantage in the points classification has increased following Pogačar’s withdrawal, and he now leads teammate Brennan by 57 points

“Pogačar’s crash is a huge loss for this race; it’s something we don’t see often. We’ll miss him,” said Van Aert.

“Before the crash, I had managed to pick up some points, so I was ready to fight for the green jersey against him and the other contenders. It’s a shame for the race that he’s no longer in it.”

Van Aert is also just three points behind Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), who now leads the mountains classification, after claiming maximum points atop the Puerto de Barx, the only categorised climb of the stage.