“She wants me to bring this jersey home” - Tadej Pogacar reveals extra Tour de Suisse motivation after Urska Zigart crash

Tadej Pogacar has revealed his partner Urska Zigart is “in good spirits” after her crash at the Tour de Suisse Women, with the Slovenian now carrying extra motivation as he continues his bid to win the men’s race.

Pogacar spoke before the start of stage 3 with a 2:50 lead over Richard Carapaz in the general classification, having tightened his grip on yellow despite missing out on stage victory the previous day. UAE Team Emirates - XRG chased hard on stage 2, but Romain Gregoire and the breakaway narrowly survived as Pogacar and Mathias Vacek closed in late.

The Tour de Suisse leader was asked about his state of mind after Zigart’s crash, and said he had been able to visit her in hospital after stage 2. “It’s all good. If you are referring to Urska’s crash, I visited her yesterday after the stage in the hospital. They kept her there overnight and today she is released from hospital,” Pogacar said in conversation with Cycling Pro Net.

“She is in good spirits also. She is really a fighter and she is strong, so that also gives me motivation for the next days because she wants me to bring this jersey home and to see her as soon as possible on Monday,” he added.

Pogacar also looked back on stage 2, where UAE tried to set up another victory after his dominant opening-day solo in Sondrio. The Slovenian said the team had gone into the day with several possible cards to play. “We had a plan to go for the stage, either with Johnny or Brandon or me,” he said.

The problem was the strength of the breakaway, combined with the conditions. UAE kept the move under control for much of the day, but the heat began to tell inside the team before the finale.

“But the breakaway was so strong. We managed to keep the gap good, but it was also super hot, so there were a lot of cramps in the legs for the guys,” Pogacar said. “Then on the climb we brought the gap down well, and on the last climb maybe we just missed a little bit to arrive at the top together, me and Johnny, with Mathias Vacek also. If all three of us had arrived at the top together, we would have had more chance to catch the breakaway.”

Pogacar still gave full credit to the riders who stayed clear, with Gregoire eventually taking the stage win in Locarno. “But I must really say they were committing so well. They deserved the victory as well and, chapeau, it was for sure good to see the race as a fan yesterday,” he said.

Stage 3 offers another awkward day for the peloton, with hard climbing early before the route eases in the final 50 kilometres towards Bad Ragaz. Pogacar suggested the stage may again be difficult to control for a bunch sprint.

“It’s a hard stage from the beginning. It eases up in the last 50 kilometres, but I think we follow the moves and we see how the breakaway is, because yesterday they made it to the finish and I think today is also a day for the breakaway,” he said.

“I think it is a bit too hard to be controlled as a bunch sprint day. But we will see. It is not a lot up to us today. We need to stick together, do our best and stay safe,” Pogacar concluded.

Pogacar starts stage 3 still firmly in yellow, with Carapaz second overall and Andrea Bagioli third at 3:07.