Tadej Pogačar Ends His Season After Vuelta a España Crash

Tadej Pogačar’s season is over after the Slovenian cycling star crashed at the Vuelta a España and underwent surgery. His team, UAE Emirates, said he will focus fully on recovery and rehabilitation and will not return to racing this year.

The decision rules him out of several major events. Pogačar will not defend his road world title at the end of September in Montreal, Canada. He will also miss the European championships in Slovenia in early October and Il Lombardia, the final monument of the cycling season, later that month.

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Get well soon, Tadej. We’ll see you back in 2027.

Pogačar crashed during the eighth stage on August 29 while leading the Vuelta by almost four minutes and having won three stages in the opening week. UAE Emirates said he suffered a concussion, a displaced fracture of his left collarbone, a stable fracture of the C7 cervical vertebra and multiple abrasions. Doctors operated on his collarbone in Barcelona.

The team said, “Get well soon, Tadej. We’ll see you back in 2027.” It also announced that Pogačar has renewed his contract through the end of the 2032 season. Pogačar said, “At this moment, the most important thing is to recover properly and give my body the time it needs.” The day after the crash, he posted a photograph from his hospital bed wearing a neck brace, with the Bee Gees song “Stayin' Alive” in the background.

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At this moment, the most important thing is to recover properly and give my body the time it needs.