As three weeks of racing take their toll, Grand Tours often see tens of riders abandon across the 21 days and two rest days. Riders may abandon for a variety of reasons, including crashes, injuries, illness, or simply fatigue. Riders can quit mid-stage, climbing into a team car or, in the worst case, leaving in an ambulance, or they may finish the stage but decide not to start the next one.
If a rider quits mid-stage, they are recorded as 'did not finish' (DNF), and if they fail to start a stage, it's a 'did not start' (DNS).
Riders can also be made to leave the race by the commissaires or race jury, who enforce all the rules, either with a disqualification (DSQ) for serious rule infringements, or for finishing outside the time limit on a given stage (OTL). You can find out more about the time limit with our explainer.
Latest Videos FromCyclingnews
The first abandon of the Vuelta came on the first road stage from Monaco to Manosque. Guatemalan national champion Sergio Chumil (Burgos Burpellet BH) crashed with 50km to go on stage 2, suffering a head injury and a deep left elbow wound. He's the only rider to leave the race so far.
Here, we will track all the 2026 Vuelta a España withdrawals as riders drop out of the race.
Vuelta a España 2026 abandons
Stage 2
- Sergio Chumil (Burgos Burpellet BH) - DNF, crash
For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You'll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a España, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.
