Tadej Pogacar is riding again. More than a month after the stage 8 crash at the Vuelta a España that ended his season, the Slovenian is training outdoors in his home country and letting his partner Urška Žigart set the pace.
“I’m doing well; I’m getting better with every day after the crash,” Pogacar told Domestique Cycling.
“I’m riding the bike and enjoying the last nice autumn days here in Slovenia.”
“In the last few days she’s been kicking my ass on the climbs and on the downhills too.”
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The update is his first direct public account of his condition since UAE Team Emirates-XRG ruled him out for the rest of 2026. Pogacar hit the ground at high speed with roughly 32km remaining on stage 8, striking a rock while leading the race by more than three minutes, according to ProCyclingUK.
Medical scans showed a displaced fracture to his left collarbone, a stable fracture of the C7 cervical vertebra, a concussion and multiple abrasions. Surgery to stabilise the clavicle was carried out in Barcelona the following day.
No plans to race again this year
Any late-season comeback has been shut down by his team. After Pogacar appeared on a preliminary Slovenian startlist for the European Road Championships, UAE Team Emirates-XRG told Cyclingnews the entry was “an old list” and that there were “no plans for him to ride any more races this year.”
The European road race is on Sunday, 4 October, in Slovenia. The final monument of the season, Il Lombardia, follows on Saturday, 10 October. Pogacar is confirmed absent from both.
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Il Lombardia carries a particular edge. He won his fifth consecutive Il Lombardia in 2025 to match the record of five career victories held by Fausto Coppi. A sixth this October would have left him outright at the top of the monument’s roll of honour.
Pogacar is already looking at 2031
The world road race title went to Brandon McNulty in Montréal on 27 September. The American soloed clear in the finale to become the first US rider to win the men’s elite road race since 1993. Pogacar, who had been due to defend the rainbow jersey, watched it from Slovenia.
“When Brandon crossed the line and won I couldn’t believe he had done it,” he told Domestique Cycling.
“I was so, so happy for him.”
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The 28-year-old also looked much further forward. The 2031 UCI Super World Championships are set for the Italian region of Trentino, and he already has them in mind.
“I hope I’ll be there and racing. It’s my dream to still be good then.”
Pogacar’s contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG runs until 2032, the team announced alongside the confirmation that his 2026 season was over.
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