The UAE team was hit hard. © APA/afp / LUCA BETTINI

"A disaster": Bitter certainty after horrific fall

Tadej Pogacar must have been watching the Giro d'Italia in Bulgaria with trepidation. During a horrific crash on the second stage, almost his entire UAE Team ended up in the ditch at high speed, with the cycling superstar absent.

10 May 2026

From: dpa

The medical report on Sunday morning was correspondingly devastating: Spaniard Marc Soler suffered a fractured pelvis, Australian Jay Vine a fractured elbow. And fellow favorite Adam Yates, who, covered in blood and badly injured, still managed to reach the finish line with a significant deficit, ultimately had to abandon his Giro dream. A large laceration, abrasions, and symptoms of a concussion made it impossible for him to continue on the third stage. "What a disaster. I worked so hard to get fit for the Giro," said Yates, whose twin brother Simon won the Italian tour last year.

What happened? On a slightly downhill stretch of road, about 23 kilometers from the finish in Veliko Tarnovo – the Giro d'Italia is holding its first three stages in Bulgaria this year – Soler slipped, triggering a chain reaction. Around 35 riders went down, some crashing into the guardrail at full speed. The race had to be temporarily neutralized. Ambulances were on the scene.

Adam Yates had to abandon the race. © APA/afp / LUCA BETTINI

Five of the eight UAE Team Emirates riders were involved in the crash. Several other professional cyclists also had to abandon the race before the Giro even reached Italy. Italian Andrea Vendrame suffered a triple vertebral fracture, while Santiago Buitrago (Colombia), Adne Holter (Norway), and Matteo Moschetti (Italy) also had to withdraw with various injuries.

First the kangaroo, now the Giro crash

Soler and Yates are actually slated to be key support riders for Pogacar at the Tour de France in eight weeks. "Starting the Giro like this is really discouraging," said UAE Team Manager Mauro Gianetti. "It's been a pretty tough year for us, but we're not going to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves." Crash injuries have plagued the top team all season. Vine has now suffered his second injury. At the Tour Down Under, he was knocked down by a kangaroo and broke his wrist.


At least world champion and Tour de France winner Pogacar has so far been spared any crash injuries. If necessary, the exceptional Slovenian can also secure his victories solo.