Tadej Pogacar has drawn a line under the speculation about what put him on the tarmac at the 2026 Vuelta a España.
“It was a big rock. Everything else is fake news,” he told Slovenian media on Sunday at a charity golf event in Volčji Potok, pushing back on claims that a loose TV camera battery or a timing transponder had sent him down.
In the same appearance he confirmed a 2027 programme that few riders would risk after a crash of that severity.
Three races on the 2027 list
The goals are a sixth Tour de France, the UCI Road World Championships in France, and the Vuelta a España.
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“The goal for next year would obviously be the World Championships, combined with the Tour and the Vuelta,” Pogacar said.
The 2027 Worlds will be hosted in Haute-Savoie, with the elite road race built around Sallanches and the Côte de Domancy climb. The Vuelta a España follows in September.
The injuries that ended 2026
The crash came on stage 8 of the Vuelta on 29 August 2026, with Pogacar wearing the red leader’s jersey and well clear on the overall standings. He clipped the rock near the front of the peloton, went down heavily and was taken to hospital by ambulance.
The injury list was long: a fractured and dislocated left collarbone, a cervical vertebra fracture, and a concussion. He spent five weeks off the bike before starting recovery and did not race again in 2026.
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The Vuelta is the one Grand Tour he has not won
“Even though I’d rather ride the Giro, I’ll have to tick off the Vuelta at some point too,” Pogacar said.
His 2026 Tour de France win in July matched the five-victory mark held by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin. A sixth in 2027 would be an outright record.
The 2027 Tour de France is scheduled for July, with the Worlds in Haute-Savoie falling between the Grand Tours and the Vuelta a España following in September.
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