Pogacar forced to abandon Vuelta after stage eight crash, Mas takes overall lead

XERACO, Spain, Aug 29 : Tadej Pogacar's bid to complete cycling's Grand Tour hat-trick came to a painful end at the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday when the race leader and five-time Tour de France winner crashed out with blood on his face and an injured shoulder.Slovenian Pogacar, who has been wearing the red jersey since winning the first stage, went down in the peloton with over 30 kilometres left in the ride from Pucol to Xeraco.A television replay showed the 27-year-old swerving onto his right, colliding with another rider before going down. He was also hit by other riders coming from behind, a couple of whom also fell.The 27-year-old tried to stand up and get back on his bike as his teammates stopped around him, but he sat back down as medics rushed to him. He later walked into an ambula