Tadej Pogacar, the man who makes winning the Tour de France look as routine as a morning coffee run, has decided to skip the rest of the Vuelta a España. The reason? A spectacularly unceremonious fall on Saturday's flat stage eight, 31km from the finish, which left him with a sore shoulder and a face that will need some time to recover its composure.

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, who has a habit of collecting grand tour titles like they're going out of style - five Tours de France and a Giro d'Italia, to be precise - was hoping to add the Vuelta to his trophy cabinet and join the exclusive club of riders who've won all three grand tours. But fate, or perhaps another rider's shoulder, had other plans.

Pogacar's day went from bad to worse when he brushed shoulders with a fellow competitor and lost control of his handlebars. As the peloton pedaled off into the distance, his entire team waited like loyal puppies, hoping he'd get back on his bike. He tried, bless his heart, but after a couple of minutes of wincing and a heartfelt 'no' when he touched his bike, he decided that the ambulance was a more appealing option than chasing the race.

His teammates eventually set off towards the finish line at Xeraco, near Valencia, but without their leader. Pogacar had been leading the race by a comfortable 3min 50sec over Spain's Enric Mas, who now finds himself in the unenviable position of being the favorite. Mas is a minute ahead of former champion Primoz Roglic of Slovenia, with Austria's Felix Gall trailing another 11 seconds behind.

This marks the first time the 27-year-old has failed to finish a grand tour, which is a bit like a fish forgetting how to swim. In July, he joined the pantheon of five-time Tour winners - Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin - and he did it younger than any of them, beating Merckx's record by over a year. He's also the first rider to finish on the Tour podium seven years running, and the only one to have graced the podium in nine consecutive grand tours.

So, while the Vuelta continues without its star, Pogacar can console himself with the knowledge that he's already achieved more than most cyclists dream of. And hey, there's always next year - assuming his shoulder and face have recovered from this little adventure.