Tadej Pogacar Tour de France blow - Key teammate and climbing support Marc Soler reportedly ruled out of July showpiece

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.

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.

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.