Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), and other leading riders fell off the bike at the end of stage 14 of the Vuelta a España, and Luca Medjeck (Mitchelton Scott) was taken to hospital by ambulance.

The pileup occurred on the last 1km uphill section in the city of Oviedo. Dozens of riders were either involved in the crash or were caught just behind.

It was unclear who caused the crash on the left side. The crash occurred near the front of the pack, but did not affect Sam Bennett's (Bora-Hansgrohe) progress to his second Vuelta win now.

The crash rippled across the entire width of the road as riders tried to avoid the fall and fell on top of those already on the pavement.

Sprinter Medjeck was the worst to fall and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. According to the official medical report for the Vuelta, which was later released, Medjeck suffered bruising to his lower back and right elbow and was taken to the hospital for further observation.

Owen Douil (Team Ineos) sat by the crash barrier and was treated. Other riders who crashed included Enrico Battaglin (Katusha), Jorge Cubero (Burgos-BH), and John Avellasturi (Caja Rural).

Mezgec was optimistic before the stage. He said, "I hope the other teams are thinking the same way, because there aren't many sprint chances left. The legs are getting better every day."

Valverde did not seem too affected by the crash and spoke at length to reporters across the finish line before heading to the team bus. Valverde said that it was not a high-speed crash, but one that everyone could have predicted.

"In the uphill sprint finish, with all the speed and tension, two riders hit the wheels and everyone went down.

"My wrist was a little sore but not too bad. Hopefully it won't affect the stages ahead."

Stage winner Bennett said he was not involved in the mass pileup. He said, "I heard the crash, but it was in the back, Quick-Step was fully prepared to sprint, and UAE was there. It didn't affect the front of the pack."

Asked how Valverde had recovered after Friday's mountain stage, he replied, "Fine. 'Apart from this crash, it was a good day.' As for whether he feels more inclined to attack Sunday or Monday's summit finish, he replied, "Right now, I need to go to the hotel and rest."

Pogacar, who was bleeding from one elbow, told reporters after the race that he did not expect a stressful stage.

"I didn't expect it to be so stressful today. 'I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden half the group was on the ground. Hopefully everyone is okay and no serious injuries."

Race leader Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) later said he put his foot down to stop the fall but was otherwise unaffected.