On Tuesday, in the 189.4-kilometer long 16th stage, Roglič suffered a heavy fall 150 meters before the finish, but the Danish cyclist Mads Pedersen from the “Trek – Sagafredo” team became the winner.
Rogličs tried to get some bonus seconds in the finish sprint to get closer to the overall leader Belgian Remko Evenpool from “Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl”, who also had a flat tire, but he tilted and fell heavily, injuring his left knee and arm to the point of bleeding.
“Unfortunately, Primož Rogličs will not take part in the 17th stage after yesterday’s fall at the start,” the statement of the “Jumbo-Visma” team said on Wednesday. “Get well, champion! Thanks for the wonderful moments at the Vuelta.”
In the overall standings, Evenpool beat Rogliča by one minute and 26 seconds, and Spain’s Enrique Mas (“Movistar”), who is in third place, by two minutes and one second.
This year, due to injuries, Roglič was also forced to withdraw from the “Tour de France.”
In the previous three years, the winner of the Spanish multi-day cycling race was the Slovenian cyclist Roglič. For the second year in a row, none of the cyclists from Latvia will start the “Vuelta a Espana”.
The “Vuelta a Espana” will run until September 11, when the cyclists will finish in Madrid on the 21st stage.
