In the second race of the 2023 Liège-Bastogne-Liège event, potential winner Tadey Pogachar was involved in a crash with Mikel Honoré (EF Education Easy Post) and abandoned the race.

Pogachar crashed at the 84.5 km mark of the 258 km event and retired from the race; according to the UAE team's Twitter account, Pogachar is on his way to the hospital for tests on a wrist injury.

The crash and abandonment came after Pogachar dominated the first half of the Classics season, winning 12 races to date. His victories in the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold, and La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday have made him the leading contender for Liège-Bastogne-Liège, along with Remco Evenpole (Soudal-Quick Step). Pogachar became only the fifth person in history to achieve the Ardennes Triple.

Pogachar's entire UAE Team Emirates team initially waited for their leader, but he was forced to abstain. After Pogachar retired and boarded the team car to head to the hospital, the other UAE riders returned to the group.

He crashed on the descent and reportedly had a puncture with Honoré, but this has not yet been confirmed.

At this point, 11 riders had a four-minute advantage, with UAE Team Emirates leading the chase. Pogachar's retirement was supposed to be his last race of the first half of the season before he rests and prepares for the Tour de France, which he won in 2020 and 2021.