Monday Update: Pogacar Crashes Out of the Vuelta; Hot weather returns; Last Day of August

Hello, Everyone:

Welcome to the last Monday in the month of August. This month moved a bit slower, but maybe that’s more perception than actual fact. This is the wettest August I remember in quite a long time with a host of floods occurring all over the world. And right here at the end of the month and for the first week of September, temperatures have soared back into the 90s.

Now onto some racing news at the Vuelta a España. For the first time since he has been racing grand tours, Tadej Pogacar took a bad spill off his bike during Stage 8 when he hit an errant rock in the road. The rest of his season may be in jeopardy as he recovers from a fractured collarbone, specifically the World Championships.

But Pogacar is officially out of the Vuelta, which means the field is wide open. The leader’s jersey went to Enric Mas by default from the Movistar team, who decided not to slip on the jersey out of respect for Pogacar. He starts stage 9 with a 1:22 lead in the GC, but at this point, it’s anybody’s race to be claimed.

I hope you have a good and productive week ahead!