Mühlberger crashes out and leaves Gall without key support

Gregor Mühlberger was forced to abandon the Vuelta a España after crashing in the opening kilometres of stage 13 from Almuñécar to Loja. The 32-year-old Austrian from Decathlon CMA CGM was ninth overall, 8:27 behind Enric Mas, before the accident ended his race. No confirmed medical diagnosis has been announced.

His withdrawal is a major setback for teammate Felix Gall, who sits third overall at 2:06. Mühlberger had been one of Decathlon's strongest mountain domestiques and had stayed with Gall deep into the key climbs, including the previous day's summit finish at Calar Alto.

The timing makes the loss especially significant. Gall must now face the Sierra de la Pandera and the decisive third week without one of his main climbing helpers, reducing Decathlon's options to control the race and support its leader when the group of favourites begins to split.