"After such a massive crash, are you still the same person?" - Tour de France director questions Tadej Pogacar's recovery from La Vuelta crash?
Cycling
Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme spoke about the race's headliners and main contenders after the 2027 route reveal, and discussed the potential scenario in which Tadej Pogacar might suffer from the injuries suffered at this summer's Vuelta a España.
The former World Champion crashed hard after hitting a rock during stage 8 of the Spanish Grand Tour, suffering a fractured vertebra, collarbone and a concussion. This kept him out of the World, European Championships and Il Lombardia - as well as the Vuelta which he was leading.
The discourse over social media was on whether the route suited Tadej Pogacar or the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas better. But a separate question is on Pogacar's recovery.
"The real question for me – and I obviously wish him all the best – is how well he’ll have recovered from his very, very, very serious crash in the Vuelta a España," Prudhomme said in words to L'Équipe.
"Because his talent lies not only in his physical superiority, but also in his riding skills. His descent of the Tourmalet last summer was mind-blowing and jaw-dropping. As you get older, after such a massive crash, are you still the same person? Do you take as many risks?"
Tadej Pogacar suffered several injuries after his La Vuelta crash
Eddy Merckx comparison
Pogacar's superiority in the Grand Tours has been absolute since the start of 2024, whereas the end of his era does not appear to be within sight.. Whether that will be within a few years - the Slovenian has a contract until 2032 - or earlier cannot be answered at the moment.
Prudhomme has left the door open for what may be the post-crash Pogacar, who has sustained the first major injury of his career since turning pro. "There are certainly questions lingering after his crash. Whether it has left its mark on him and what the consequences will be," he said.
"Eddy Merckx has always said that he was never the same again after his crash in Blois; he was undoubtedly scarred morally and mentally, but he also says he was never the same in the mountains afterwards," he gave as an example, "but that didn’t stop him from winning four more Tours de France after that".
Pogacar is reported to have begun training for the 2027 season whilst a return to racing in January has been speculated on for the past few weeks.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Mathieu and Wout!!! You must start in CX this winter! (hope you reading comments here...) ;-)averagecyclist12-11-2026
- Who made you site boss?Lozza12-11-2026
- This shows so well you’ve never ventured out to a cycling event and checked out spectators.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- I preferred the one about amateur riders and passing (perhaps to explain why he can’t ride at 220 which would probably be more effective to return to shape).Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Not just ManU, far worse in some minority sports ventures.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- From your writing it sounds like you’ve been sharing your views with people here for quite a while, quite presumouptuous for a new profile.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Which is amazing given his weight and size, though, unlike in boxing and some rare instances we haven’t a clue what his fighting weight was. Anybody know why these “public” figures floated around are considered as being accurate?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- That’s a first point, everyone can have an off year or just stagnate before a new upward cycle. What would have been more interesting is including Skjelmose’s performance into the discussion, things have also been expected from him after several performances in the past but he hasn’t really progressed either, his TdF was basically what you would have expected but he’s 26 and been kind of stuck at this level for at least 2-3 years. Maybe he’s a late developer or maybe he needs something to change but as manager I’d be just as demanding and worried about both. Perhaps the recruitment concept was to have enough talent so at least one every year would be in shape and they’ve just been unlucky. Don’t want to rub it in but you could even say Mads lost a notch, so is it the riders or is it more to do with the team?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was also going to say that young pretty women are obsessed Pogi fan girls... who are chasing him. All glossy "____" (blank) about Tadej. PS: You can all fill in the "blank" yourselves, whatever you prefer. The definition of glossy is: It looks unusually shiny, glazed over, watery, or vacant/unfocused.PogiSloFans12-11-2026
- Are you able to discuss ANYTHING without making a reference back to your Special 1? It’s almost as if you’re paid by his marketing team to improve his ranking in search results.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
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