"If I crash again on the bike now, it can be very problematic" - Tadej Pogacar lays bare return dangers and opens up on 'out of it' hospital experience
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar's recovery from his Vuelta a Espana crash has been seemingly more complicated than many were aware of as the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader opened up on his injuries following the season-ending injury.
After initial surgery in the early days of September, the Slovenian was confirmed to have suffered a broken collarbone, concussion and a C7 vertebrae fracture. However, six weeks after the fall, a scan confirmed that he had also broken his T1 and T2 vertebrae - in his lower back.
The injuries mean that the Slovenian faces greater danger during his recovery should he suffer a crash in training that could prove complicated. Two months have passed since his Vuelta fall, and with possibly another two months to go until his race return, Pogacar looks back on the moment his season came to an end.
“These crashes always happen fast. I remember losing the handlebar with my right hand, so I was leaning forward and going over the handlebars," Pogacar told The Athletic. "I was kind of on the bike still when I saw one yellow jersey from Visma, I think it was [Ben] Tulett, and I hit him and then we crashed.
“The next thing I remember was flying and hitting the floor really hard. I don’t remember hitting it with my head, or the first time that I tried to stand up, but I remember I couldn’t pick my arm up. I asked the doctor to pick it up for me."
Tadej Pogacar
Pogacar details complications of injury
Initially, Pogacar admitted that he was keen to start his recovery as quickly as possible and was focused particularly on his broken collarbone. However, in doing so, he realised over time that it was his vertebrae injuries that required extra attention and patience in order to ensure they heal better.
In fact, he revealed that another crash while training could risk severely aggravating the injuries as he admitted that he feels lucky and that knowing the possibility that he could have came out with worse injuries is a scary thought.
“When I started to get on the home trainer, to go to physio every day, then I started to feel better — also in the head. But it was a day-to-day fight. Some days I wanted to do everything: physio, gym, rollers, walk for two hours. You know, you have this energy. But then maybe the next day, I just wanted to do nothing all day.
“Because it’s not as visible as a collarbone, everybody forgets about it I think,” Pogačar says. “People who have experienced it, or know somebody that has broken vertebrae, knows how serious it is. It was strange because it was not really painful in the position where it was broken, I was focusing more on the collarbone.
He added: “But if I crash again on the bike now, it can be very problematic. Everybody says that I was lucky, and you’re always lucky after a crash where you can walk away and you’re fine. But the more you talk with people, the more you find out about the seriousness of the injury. You have the internet and you google it. You see it’s pretty serious and not to joke around. It’s a bit scary, to be honest, to think about it.”
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Going back to the moment of his crash, he recalls the process of how he was taken to hospital and his initial admission to hospital - with some staff asking for signatures and pictures despite the seriousness of his injuries.
“And then I just wanted to sit on the floor by the hard shoulder. I remember I tried to pick up the bike, but with my left hand I couldn’t hold anything. There’s not much I recollect from the ambulance, but I remember going to a nearby hospital, and that was quite the experience.
“They brought me a canister for peeing, and they said I needed to pee because I needed to be empty. I was like, for what? And then they left me behind the curtains for five minutes and I had to pee in the bed, which was quite an experience. After that I was just laying there and signing autographs for the doctors and nurses, taking some photos.
“I was kind of out of it, and they were cutting my skin suit from the back, taking small pieces of the jersey, and asking if I could sign these parts of the skin suit. So my skin suit now has a lot of holes cut into it which I gave to the staff.”
Urska Zigart's injury
His partner, Urska Zigart, saw her season also ended roughly two weeks after Pogacar. A rider for AG Insurance–Soudal, she suffered a broken jaw in a crash at Faun Tour de l'Ardèche - the second injury of its kind after also breaking her jaw at the Tour de Suisse in June.
“She was really flying at the end of the season,” Pogačar says. “When I arrived back from Barcelona, she was really looking forward to the World Championships and the European Championships. Then, in Ardeche, she crashed again and rebroke her jaw.
“Luckily, I started feeling better that week, so when she arrived home, we could help each other. If it had happened one week earlier, it would have been terrible for both of us. She was able to get back onto the bike pretty fast, but there were some consequences with eating which was pretty tough.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- He didnt. Apart from the vuelta(and even that to some extent is B tier riders) he only rode C tier races.miguel31-10-2026
- The medics who let Tadej walk right past the stretcher that was waiting as he sat on the road must also be relieved that he's able to train now. Maybe they too had a sense of disbelief at what was happening.Hills3331-10-2026
- That's what I've been telling these delusional fools, that are are completely blinded by their own beliefs and unrealistic fantasies. Pogi could have beaten Remco with ease, but he just didn't want to. First: he was working for Del Toro and went his tempo ... Second: if Pogi decided to attack, Remco would have no chance. Ad acta!!! PS: BS-ers like leedorney or frieders3 & company, are living in their own world, in a parallel universe.PogiSloFans31-10-2026
- why do we need to scroll for ages after each article to get to the comments section? ah, yes… we need to know every little detail about the amazing career of the ‚author‘. again and again …Ketterechts31-10-2026
- good point. depends on who shows up, and if Remco is able to be TdF Remco or Lombardia Remcomij31-10-2026
- it is so funmij31-10-2026
- Seriously? A second article on the same quote?
Rafionain-Glas31-10-2026 - This shows, I think, how the points distribution is skewed in the wrong way. Brennan definitely had a more successful season than Jorgenson.Rafionain-Glas31-10-2026
- you need to see it again then. Many times del toro and seixas mogged and dropped jonas. UAE and pogacar didnt even bother about jonas and honestly completely humiliuated and made fun of Jonas stage 2-3...stage prior to jonas crahsed del toro and seixas also dropped him. No idea what race you saw honestly :/miguel31-10-2026
- Or that he's been advised to recover to a certain level first before thinking about the TourHills3331-10-2026
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