Barcelona, Spain, 3 September (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Tadej Pogacar has been discharged from hospital following surgery on his fractured left collarbone, but serious doubts remain over whether he will be fit to defend his world road race title later this month. The latest Tadej Pogacar recovery assessment from Slovenia’s medical team suggests competing at the World Championships in Montreal on 27 September is unlikely.
Pogacar suffered a heavy crash during stage eight of the Vuelta a España on 29 August. The Slovenian sustained a displaced fracture of his left collarbone, a concussion, a stable C7 cervical vertebra fracture and abrasions before undergoing surgery in Barcelona.
Why Pogacar’s injuries threaten his World Championships return
The biggest obstacle facing Pogacar is the combination of injuries rather than his fractured collarbone alone. Although leaving hospital represents progress, medical staff must consider his concussion and cervical fracture before clearing him to resume full training and racing.
Slovenian national team doctor Krištof Knap has expressed serious doubts about Pogacar returning in time for Montreal.
“It is not realistic, no matter how much we would want it,” Knap told RTV SLO.
The Slovenian medical team has stressed that recovering fully should take priority over attempting to accelerate his rehabilitation for the World Championships. That leaves Pogacar with only a short period to recover, return to training and potentially reach the condition required to compete against the world’s leading riders.
What Pogacar could face in the coming weeks
The Tadej Pogacar recovery will now determine whether he races again during the closing weeks of the 2026 season. UAE Team Emirates-XRG has not formally ruled him out of the World Championships, with the team waiting to assess his rehabilitation.
Team manager Mauro Gianetti has also cautioned against making an immediate decision.
“It is still way too early to say anything meaningful,” Gianetti said. “We are taking all the time: we will not make choices based on emotion.”
Missing Montreal would prevent Pogacar from attempting to win a third consecutive elite men’s road world title after his victories in Zurich in 2024 and Rwanda in 2025. His participation in other late-season events could also be affected, including the European Championships and Il Lombardia.
For now, the Tadej Pogacar recovery remains the priority. No definitive comeback date has been announced, and Slovenia’s medical assessment indicates that defending his world title on 27 September will be extremely difficult.
