The world champion was operated on at a Barcelona hospital on Monday, two days after he broke his left clavicle in a race-ending crash on stage 8 of the Vuelta a España. UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed the procedure had gone well in an evening statement from team medical director Adrian Rotunno.
“This afternoon, Tadej underwent successful surgery on his left clavicle after receiving the all-clear to proceed with the operation,” Rotunno said.
“The procedure went well and he will remain in hospital for post-operative monitoring for a few days.”
The operation had been delayed by concussion protocols. Team boss Mauro Gianetti had warned earlier that the surgery would probably wait until Tuesday or Wednesday because the fracture had shifted; in the end it went ahead a day earlier.
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Xeraco crash and a C7 fracture
Pogacar crashed with roughly 31 kilometers to go on Saturday’s stage 8 into Xeraco, hitting what looked like a rock as he reached for his bottle on an otherwise flat, straight stretch of road. He tried to remount, could not continue, and walked to a waiting ambulance.
The full injury list ran longer than the collarbone alone: a concussion, a displaced left clavicle fracture, a stable C7 cervical fracture and multiple abrasions. Scans showed no neurological damage, the team said at the time.
It was the first time Pogacar has abandoned a Grand Tour, in his tenth start.
Season likely done, Worlds in doubt
Pogacar had been leading the Vuelta by close to four minutes in the red jersey when he went down, having already won three stages in the first week. UAE Team Emirates general manager Joxean “Matxin” Fernandez was blunt about the timing.
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“He was leading the race and on course to win the Vuelta a Espana. Unfortunately, this is another stone in the road,” Fernandez told The National.
Gianetti refused to put a comeback date on the table, telling CyclingUpToDate that the team would wait for further concussion tests and the surgical follow-up before deciding anything.
“It is still far too early to say anything useful about that. We are not discussing it within the team, because this is not the time to make a decision,” he said.
“First, we have to wait for the final test results for the concussion and see how the surgery on Tuesday or Wednesday goes. After that, we will have a clearer picture and can assess whether he can still return this season. We are going to handle this calmly and not make choices based on emotion.”
The elite men’s road race at the Road World Championships in Montreal on 27 September is the most immediate casualty on the calendar, with Pogacar the defending champion. Il Lombardia and a home European Championships in Slovenia are also in doubt.
Mas in red, race carries on
The Vuelta rolled on without its biggest name. Enric Mas inherited the race lead when Pogacar abandoned, then won stage 9’s summit finish on the Alto de Aitana, attacking with three kilometers to go and pulling clear with only Oscar Onley able to follow. The Movistar rider now leads Primoz Roglic by 1 minute 18 seconds overall.
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