Colombian professional cyclist Cristian Camilo Muñoz, a former teammate of Tadej Pogačar at UAE Team Emirates, has died in hospital, just six days after suffering a serious knee injury in a crash at the Tour du Jura.
The 30-year-old, racing for the NU Colombia team, was treated in hospital after crashing out of the French one-day race on Saturday. According to El Tiempo, Muñoz required 20 stitches to one of his knees, before leaving the hospital on Sunday night.
He then joined up with his teammates in Spain for the Vuelta Asturias, which began in Oviedo on Thursday.
However, the 30-year-old – a former winner of a stage at the U23 Giro d’Italia – began to feel unwell on Tuesday and was taken to another hospital in Valladolid, hours after posting a video birthday message to his wife on Instagram.
There, his condition deteriorated and he underwent surgery, before being placed in an induced coma. Tragically, he failed to respond to treatment and he passed away on Friday, his team confirmed.
According to reports in Spain, doctors at the hospital have indicated that the cause of Muñoz’s death was a hospital-acquired infection.
His NU Colombia squad have withdrawn from the Vuelta Asturias as a mark of respect, while a minute’s silence was held before today’s second stage, where black ribbons were placed by officials on race vehicles.
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“Today we bid farewell to Cristian Muñoz, a cyclist who turned every kilometre into a show of passion, discipline, and heart,” Nu Colombia said in a statement posted on Instagram on Friday afternoon.
“His story doesn’t stay here and reminds us that dreams are pedalled every day, even when the road gets uphill.
“We stayed with his example, his goals achieved and the inspiration he left in everyone who saw him get on the bike. To his family, friends and those who admired him from near or far, we send you all our strength and love at this time.”
Muñoz began his career at Colombian Continental team Coldeportes before making his move to the WorldTour in 2019 with UAE Team Emirates.
He spent three years with the squad, riding high-profile stage races such as the Volta a Catalunya, Tour de Suisse, and Critérium du Dauphiné, while also serving as one of Tadej Pogačar’s domestiques at the 2020 Ardennes classics, shortly after the Slovenian’s maiden Tour de France win.
Muñoz returned to his home nation in 2022, racing for the EPM outfit, which morphed into the NU Colombia squad. He won two races last year on home roads and finished third overall at the Vuelta a Guatemala, a race he led for eight days.
The 30-year-old started the 2026 season strongly, finishing ninth overall at the Vuelta del Tolima and fourth at the Vuelta al Valle del Cauca.
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He then headed with the team to France, where he finished 31st at the Classic Grand Besançon Doubs, won by TotalEnergies’ Jordan Jegat, just days before his final race at the Tour du Jura.
“Those who knew him remember him as a warm and approachable person, always generous with his teammates, and with a sporting spirit that inspired those around him,” his team said.
“The technical staff, the riders, the directors, all the team personnel and Nu Colombia accompany Cristian’s family in this moment of deep sorrow, and extend their condolences to his loved ones, friends and the entire Colombian cycling community.”
10 thoughts on “Tadej Pogačar’s former teammate dies from infection six days after suffering serious knee injury in crash”
Tragic. Quite frankly, that should not happen.
How do you know? You have no idea what the nature of the infection was, what its origin was, and what other complicating factors existed.
So your position is that it maybe should happen?
Origin? The hospital, as stated by doctors. So I stand by what I said.
That’s a really tragic, very sad news. What’s also concerning is the fact that the name of the hospital in France where Muñoz received treatment to his left knee after his fall has yet to be disclosed. Upon re-examining Muñoz at a clinic in Oviedo, doctors diagnosed a serious, difficult-to-treat infection requiring specialised care. Hopefully, there will be a police investigation as to understand the chain of events that led to the premature death of Cristian Muñoz.
Before you get all excited about starting a witchhunt, it might be worth noting that hospital acquired infections are all too common. In the UK, about 7-8% of patients can expect to pick one up (and worldwide it’s about 10%). NICE estimates that this results in about 5,000 deaths annually. While cases will tend to skew towards infants and older patients, anyone can be affected.
Agreed. Classically, this is due to a superantigen resulting from infection with multi-drug resistant bacteria of the type that are lurking everywhere in hospitals- that ubiquity may or may not be blamed on the inappropriate use of antibiotics.The infection results in an immune storm, collapse of the circulation and possibly death. There’s a good chance that there is no fault by individuals and that society is to blame for ‘I want some antibiotics’. They probably have a list of more than one culpable bacterial species, and they’ll be looking for them in the original hospital. This is a good reason why we all want to keep out of hospitals if we possibly can, and why we should despise the b******s who encourage close-passing by refusing to take action against the offenders.
Livestock industry is not blameless.
Antibiotics used as growth promoters
Is there no subject under the sun on which you can’t talk bollocks? Hospital-acquired infections are a sad fact of medical life and occur in pretty much every hospital in the world, sometimes, as here, with the most awful consequences. Shouting for a criminal investigation is both stupid and ignorant.
You know nothing about the infection, its source, the state of Muñoz’s health and his medical history, nor any other complicating factors. Yet somehow you think there needs to be a police investigation.
You really don’t seem to understand just how dangerous some bacterial, viral, and fungal infections can be, especially if someone’e immune system is weakened by injury, fatigue, or something else.
But, golly, we gotta get the cops in there to do an investigation tout de suite. That’s doubly the case given the extensive study of immunology and infectious diseases that the police undergo.