Tadej Pogacar is back! All-conquering champion set to race again in 2026 as early return date confirmed after Vuelta crash
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar will pin on a race number again before the end of 2026. The five-time Tour de France winner has confirmed his participation in the BeKing charity criterium in Monaco on 29 November, exactly three months after the Vuelta a Espana crash that abruptly ended his season.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG had announced on 5 September that Pogacar would not return to competition for the remainder of the year. His newly confirmed appearance will come on the streets of Port Hercule, where BeKing brings together professional riders, amateurs and families for a day of racing and fundraising.
Pogacar announced his participation alongside his partner and fellow professional Urska Zigart in a video shared through the organisers’ social media channels. Both will take part in the sixth edition of the event, which features separate men’s and women’s criteriums.
Back to Monaco after an interrupted season
Pogacar was leading the Vuelta when he crashed out on stage eight on 29 August. He had already won three stages, adding to a campaign featuring a fifth Tour title and victories at Milano-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
The crash left him with a fractured collarbone, a stable cervical fracture and concussion. He underwent surgery and missed the World Championships, European Championships and Il Lombardia while recovering, before resuming outdoor riding on 26 September.
November’s appearance takes him back to an event he has already won. In 2024, Pogacar finished ahead of Mads Pedersen and Michael Matthews at BeKing, taking a solo victory after rain forced organisers to shorten the criterium to 20 laps.
The 2026 race is listed on the UCI calendar as a professional criterium. A mixed-team pro-am will also feature on the programme, using the same circuit as the professionals.
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Pogacar and Zigart join new children’s initiative
Alongside their racing commitments, Pogacar and Zigart introduced BeKing’s new Children’s Ambassador Programme in their announcement video. The initiative will give young supporters “the chance to be part of the event in a very special way”, Pogacar said.
Children will also have opportunities to ride alongside the professionals. The event’s dedicated kids’ area includes cycling activities and road-safety games, with youngsters able to try the circuit on their own bikes or those provided by the organisers’ partner.
BeKing’s initiatives have raised and donated approximately 380,000 euros over the years, according to an October update from the organisers. Previous beneficiaries include the Michele Scarponi Foundation, the Amy Pieters Foundation, the Rayner Foundation and Pogacar’s own foundation.
Admission to Port Hercule is free. The published programme schedules the women’s criterium for 11:15 local time and the men’s race for 14:00, with family activities running throughout the day.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Brucegel17-10-2026 - is that the standard for sharing thoughts here?OCexile17-10-2026
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