Primož Roglič has given up the Vuelta a España after his serious crash in the final meters of stage 16 in Tomares. His Jumbo-Visma team confirmed on Wednesday morning that he would not be at the start of stage 17.
“Unfortunately, Roglič will not be at the start of stage 17 due to yesterday’s crash,” read one pronunciation (opens in new tab) on social media. ‘Get well soon, champion! Thank you for all the beautiful moments in this Vuelta. You had ambitious plans for the last days, but unfortunately that is not the intention.”
Roglič was second overall, 1:26 behind Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) after his charge in the stage 16 final. He was chasing a fourth overall win in a row in the Vuelta.
It is the second time this season that Roglič has been forced out of a Grand Tour due to an injury. He already suffered disappointment this summer when he left the Tour de France due to injuries sustained in a crash in the opening week.
Like the rest of the pack, Roglič struggled to contain his losses to Evenepoel in the first half of the Vuelta, but over the weekend he started to turn the tide, taking 52 seconds back at La Pandera and another 15 seconds in Sierra Nevada.
Momentum appeared to be in Roglič’s favor again as the Vuelta resumed after the final rest day as he attacked from the pack with 2.6km to go on the gently climbing final in Tomares.
Evenepoel, who suffered a puncture, couldn’t keep up as Roglič dragged away a group of five, but the Slovenian’s day took a different turn when he fell on the last straight as Mads Pedersen sprinted for the stage win.
A bloodied Roglič climbed back up and crossed the line, where he was assessed by race doctors. The Vuelta’s first medical bulletin reported bruises and superficial wounds to Roglič’s right elbow, hip, knee and rib area, but he appeared to be in dire need.
The satisfaction that Jumbo-Visma won at the time at Evenepoel was immediately tempered by the realization that Roglič’s entire match was doubtful.
“To me, these injuries seem like more than eight seconds,” sports director Addy Engels said on Tuesday evening, words that turned out to be grimly prescient the next morning.
In the absence of Roglič, Enric Mas (Movistar) is now Evenepoel’s biggest challenger at 2:01, while 19-year-old Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) moves to a provisional podium finish at 4:49.
The Vuelta continues on Wednesday with a top finish at the Monasterio de Tentudía.
🇪🇸 #LaVuelta22 Sadly @rogla will not be at the start of stage 17 due to yesterday’s crash. Get well, champion! Thank you for all the beautiful moments in this Vuelta. You had ambitious plans for the last days, but unfortunately that is not the intention. 😔🍀 pic.twitter.com/C3Vnc8P9EOSeptember 7, 2022
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