Tadej Pogacar Tour de France blow - Key teammate and climbing support Marc Soler reportedly ruled out of July showpiece
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar is in the height of his 2026 Tour de France preparation as he goes from versatile classics hunter to a more slimmed-down Grand Tour specialist ready to soar in the high mountains. But with the Tour de France just over three weeks away, the Slovenian has received some bad news about his team composition.
According to reports, Marc Soler is not going to be at the start on July 4th as he continues to recover from a broken pelvis sustained at the Giro d'Italia. Not only is it a blow to four-time Tour winner Pogacar, but Soler is now facing a fitness race to be fit for the Vuelta a Espana.
One of Pogacar's key lieutenants at the Tour de France in recent seasons, Soler offers strong support in both mountains and hilly terrain, making him an invaluable addition to UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Tour line-up. In an already injury-disturbed season, it's not the first time Pogacar's support at key races has been hindered.
Pogacar found himself with weakened line-ups at monuments such as Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix among others, with the Emirati team losing several riders such as Jhonatan Narvaez, Tim Wellens, Jay Vine and Jan Christen to injuries early in the season.
Soler's Giro d'Italia crash
The team's injury problems came to a boiling point on just the second stage of the Giro d'Italia as Vine, Adam Yates and Soler were all involved in a horror crash that seen multiple riders abandon.
Yates finished the stage but did not start the following day, while Vine and Soler weren't so fortunate.
Vine suffered a broken elbow and concussion, but Soler's broken pelvis saw him spend a stint in hospital. Reports now say that he will undergo further examinations next week to assess his recovery and potentially set a new timeline for a return to racing.
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Meanwhile, Pogacar will be back in action on June 17th as he takes to the line at the Tour de Suisse. After adding the Tour de Romandie to his palmares in May, the Slovenian is hoping to fine-tune Tour preparations while also adding another achievement to his already incredible record.
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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- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
- 'The Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles' ... '[Kieran Wood's] ... 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'. i would say that is pretty inaccurate accurate coverage, kieran wood ... too bad that AI's knowledge often lags several months behind ... but proof reading is certainly part of accurate coverage, isn't it? but fortunately does Kieran Wood place 'strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.' i would say the fifth tdf title is pretty new (and even verified) information, so feel free to update this article.Ketterechts01-11-2026
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