"He usually blocks everything out, but not when it’s his girlfriend": UAE boss confirms Pogacar was visibly shaken after Urska Zigart's crash
Cycling
Stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse 2026 was defined for Tadej Pogacar by a matter far more important than anything that happened on the road. Hours before the start, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider received worrying news about his partner, Urska Zigart, after a heavy crash in the women's version of Swiss WorldTour race.
That was how Mauro Gianetti, the team’s principal, described it, explaining that the information reached the Slovenian in the moments before the start of the stage.
"Unfortunately, just before the start, he received the bad news of Urska’s crash," Gianetti told Cycling Pro Net, acknowledging that the situation forced the team to step in to try to calm their leader.
The Swiss manager explained that he went personally to speak to Pogacar before the stage began. "I went to see Pogacar before the start to reassure him," he said.
Fortunately, the medical updates improved as the minutes passed. According to Gianetti, the crash had been very hard due to the speed at which it happened, although the consequences were not serious. "Luckily, it’s nothing serious. It was a spectacular crash because it happened at quite a speed, over 50 kilometres per hour."
Even so, the UAE director admitted that the emotional impact on the reigning world champion was clear. "We were able to calm him, but we can imagine it wasn’t easy for him."
"Pogacar was not in a state to compete"
Gianetti was especially explicit when describing Pogacar’s state of mind before the start. "Between the fast stage, the heat and everything else, he was not in a state to compete."
Once the stage finished, the plan was to accompany the rider to the hospital to visit Zigart: "Yes, of course. Right after the ceremony and the checks, we’ll go to the hospital," he said. "He’s ready; I’ll go with him to the hospital."
Throughout the stage, Pogacar was kept informed about his partner’s condition. "He was updated all day via earpiece on his partner’s status." Gianetti himself explained that he kept track of the situation while the race was underway: "Once the race started, I went back to the hospital and called the sports director to reassure him."
Despite the circumstances, the UAE boss highlighted Pogacar’s competitive attitude during the stage. "That’s good; he’s a professional. We saw that in the finale he still gave everything. Tadej was so far back that it was practically impossible to catch the riders up the road, but he still tried to the end."
For the manager, the Slovenian’s ride once again underlined his commitment. "Even in somewhat complicated moments, he is very professional. We will never be able to thank Tadej enough."
Impossible to lock in today
Asked about Pogacar’s ability to shut out external problems when he races, Gianetti offered a very personal reflection. "Normally, he manages to detach from everything else, but not from his girlfriend," he explans. "As you can imagine, for each person - girlfriend, wife, family - it’s different."
In fact, he acknowledged that he had sensed a different attitude from Pogacar than usual before the start. "I saw him a bit shaken before the start; it wasn’t the usual."
Tadej Pogacar was again on the attack on Thursday
"Fortunately, everything is very stable. It’s true that at first, when she was left on the road, it wasn’t a pleasant sight, but fortunately, it’s nothing serious."
The Slovenian cyclist was hospitalized with a jaw fracture but other than that - escaped any further injuries, her team informed.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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