Enric Mas won stage nine of the Vuelta a España, extending his overall advantage after racing resumed. He beat Britain’s Oscar Onley in a two-rider sprint, while Primoz Roglic finished third, 12sec back.
Guardian Sport reports that Tadej Pogacar shared an Instagram image from his hospital bed on Sunday. The photograph showed the Slovenian wearing a neck brace, with a plaster near his right eyebrow and another on his right hand.
Pogacar, who raised his index finger and little finger in the image, used the Bee Gees song Stayin’ Alive alongside the post. The UAE Team Emirates rider is awaiting surgery on his collarbone after crashing during Saturday’s eighth stage.
The fall happened just over 30km from the finish in the Valencian town of Xeraco, forcing Pogacar to leave the Vuelta a España. A medical report supplied by his team said he had a concussion, a displaced left clavicle fracture, a stable C7 cervical fracture and multiple abrasions.
UAE said there were no other major injuries and no neurological fallout, but the team has not said how long he will be unavailable. Pogacar had been leading the race by 3min 50sec a week in and was seeking to complete a career clean sweep of the three Grand Tours.
Roglic now sits 1min 18sec behind Mas, with Felix Gall third overall at 1min 39sec and Onley fourth at 2min 20sec. Sepp Kuss dropped three places to seventh after finishing 1min 44sec behind Mas.
Mas’s win ended Movistar’s five-year wait for a victory at its home Grand Tour. The race has its first rest day on Monday before returning Tuesday with a hilly 187.5km stage from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra.