Dr. Álvaro Ortiz, who examined Pogačar roadside after the Stage 8 crash, listed head trauma, multiple contusions, and a possible fracture — not a routine bruised-shoulder abandon. Pogačar couldn't put weight on his left arm trying to remount, which is why he withdrew, but the head injury is the detail that changes the calculus: fractures heal on a schedule, head trauma doesn't. If the fracture is confirmed, surgery is already on the table per medical staff — but that's now the secondary concern.