"I was just, like, depressed" - Tadej Pogacar reveals more fractures and consequences of La Vuelta crash
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar is set to have a long winter on the bike. His season ended on the 29th of August, now over two months ago. He shared his story on the aftermath of his fall at the Vuelta a España, and revealed he suffered more fractures than initially discovered.
“There’s actually a funny story. Two weeks ago, I was in Slovenia and I went to do another CT scan. I knew I had a C7 fracture, but then we saw I had two more broken vertebrae, the T1 and T2," Pogacar shared with The Athletic.
His crash during the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España proved to be too consequential for him to continue the race. It was not his wish, but he was left unable to pick up the bike - and in hindsight, was in no condition to get back on it.
In Slovenia he learnt of the additional injuries he had suffered. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider initially intended on returning to competition as soon as possible before the season ended, but it was not a possible scenario.
Tadej Pogacar suffered three fractured vertebra at his Vuelta a España crash
No regrets for Pogacar
“At that moment, I was happy I didn’t do the European Championships, which had been my initial goal. When I saw I had three broken vertebrae? I’m just happy to be alive, actually, or just to be standing," he admits.
Two months out from the fall and he believes he is back to good health:
“I don’t have discomfort anymore. I have to be careful not to crash on the bike, or do some heavy lifting with my left arm or with my neck. But I can do basically everything normal now.”
Pogacar's hellish post-surgery recovery
“I remember when I broke my wrist (Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2023, ed.), I went to surgery, I was all high from the anesthesia and I was making jokes. Now it was completely different," he said.
"I had to wait two days for the surgery, so there were two days of just laying in the bed, doing nothing. You just feel sorry for yourself".
All-in-all it was an experience to forget, with the slow and dragged out process being mandatory due to his concussion. At the hospital, he required help for his basic necessities.
“I had to be showered with the help of the team doctor. I could not shower. I was getting dizzy as soon as I stood or when I put my head down. I was just completely out of it and it was so tough. And then I was thinking, ‘After surgery, it’ll be fine'".
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But the surgery did not change the Slovenian's outlook on the fall. Although his recovery had officially began, he was not in the right state to be able to enjoy it.
“It took one hour and 40 minutes, a long time, and when I got out of anesthesia the doctor was trying to make some jokes, but I was not feeling it. I was really depressed after the surgery".
“For the first two weeks, I was really mentally not OK. I was really down. I was not a fun person to be around," Pogacar admitted.
"I don’t think Urska [Zigart] was happy to see me around the house, because I was just, like, depressed. You know, just not feeling anything.”
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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