Barcelona, Spain, 3 September (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Tadej Pogacar has left hospital following surgery on his fractured left collarbone, but the latest Tadej Pogacar recovery outlook suggests his chances of defending his world road race title later this month are increasingly slim. The Slovenian was pictured with his left arm in a sling, facial bruising and bandages as he began the next stage of his rehabilitation.
Why Pogacar faces a difficult recovery after his Vuelta crash
Pogacar crashed heavily during stage eight of the Vuelta a España on 29 August. UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed that he suffered a concussion, a displaced fracture of his left clavicle, a stable C7 cervical fracture and multiple abrasions.
His collarbone surgery was initially delayed because of concussion precautions before being successfully carried out in Barcelona. He has since returned towards his home base in Monaco, where rehabilitation will continue.
Slovenian national team doctor Krištof Knap has warned that returning to competition within weeks would be too ambitious.
“It is not realistic, no matter how much we would want it,” Knap told RTV SLO, adding that the priority is for Pogacar to “fully recover without rushing”.
What Pogacar could face if he returns too quickly
The biggest concern surrounding Tadej Pogacar recovery is not simply the broken collarbone. Doctors must also monitor his concussion and cervical injury before clearing him for high-intensity racing.
The elite men’s road race at the UCI World Championships in Montreal is scheduled for 27 September, leaving less than a month between his crash and the event. Pogacar had been targeting a third consecutive world road race title.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports manager Joxean Fernández Matxin said the racing calendar is currently secondary to Pogacar’s health.
“The schedule doesn’t matter to me right now. It’s the person that counts. It’s about Tadej,” Matxin told Eurosport.
What happens next for Pogacar?
No official decision has yet been made on whether Pogacar will race again this season. His team says his condition and rehabilitation will determine when he returns rather than any predetermined competition date.
The crash ended a dominant Vuelta campaign in which Pogacar had already won three stages and held a lead of almost four minutes over Enric Mas.
For now, the Tadej Pogacar recovery will continue away from competition, with medical clearance likely to determine whether Montreal remains possible or whether his focus shifts entirely towards a full recovery.
