Ex-Pogačar Teammate Dies After Freak Infection Following Crash

Cristian Muñoz, a former teammate of Tadej Pogačar at UAE Emirates-XRG, died overnight after complications from an infection sustained following a crash in France last week, his team confirmed Friday. He was 30.

Muñoz, who raced with UAE from 2019 to 2021, died in Spain after his condition deteriorated following injuries at the Tour du Jura Cycliste on April 18.

According to his current squad, Nu Colombia, Muñoz injured his left knee during a crash at the one-day race, which was won by American rider Matthew Riccitello.

He was initially treated at a local medical center, where he received stitches and antibiotics to treat the crash injuries, team officials confirmed.

Team officials said he later traveled to northern Spain for the Vuelta a Asturias but was admitted to a hospital in Oviedo, where doctors identified a serious infection that required emergency surgery.

Further details about the infection or the cause of death were not immediately available.

“In the last few hours, his condition deteriorated and, despite all the efforts of the medical team, Cristian passed away on Friday morning,” Nu Colombia said in a statement Friday.

Muñoz had been racing in Colombia since 2022 and was a consistent performer on the Latin American calendar. He finished fourth at the 2024 Colombian road race championships and also won a stage of the under-23 Giro d’Italia in 2018.

The stunned team withdrew from stage 2 of the Vuelta a Asturias on Friday following the tragedy.

The stage began with a moment of silence in Muñoz’s honor.

Colombian star Nairo Quintana won Friday’s stage in Asturias, and pointed to the skies as he dedicated his first professional victory since 2022 to his compatriot.