Slovenia's cycling superstar ends racing season early after Vuelta crash

Tadej Pogačar is ending his racing season early to focus on recovery after crashing out of the Vuelta a Espana last weekend.

This means the Slovenian will miss the chance to win his third straight road race world title, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Leading the race, Pogačar pulled out of the Vuelta after a brutal crash in stage 8. He suffered a concussion, a cervical fracture and had to undergo surgery for a fractured collarbone.

The injury put a wrench in his plans for the rest of the season, which originally included his defending the rainbow jersey at the world championships in Montreal at the end of this month after he had already won the road race in Kigali last year and in Zurich the year before.

Pogačar will also be sorely missed at the European championships in his native Slovenia in early October. Before the crash, he had also planned to race the one-day classic Il Lombardia.

"Of course, this isn't the way I wanted my season to finish. Right now, the most important thing is to recover properly and give my body the time it needs," Pogačar said in a post by his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team.

"It has been a season with many special moments and I'm proud of what we achieved together. Now I'll focus on getting healthy, supporting the guys from home, and coming back next year ready for what's ahead," the five-time Tour de France winner added.

The team said the decision was taken after consultation with the medical and performance staff to prioritise Pogačar's recovery and rehabilitation, giving him the necessary time to return to full health without placing a timeline on his return to competition.

The team's medical director Adrian Rotunno said Pogačar was progressing well after the surgery.

"Given the combination of his injuries - the concussion, the stable C7 cervical fracture and the open clavicle fracture - we have taken the decision, together with Tadej, that he will not return to competition this season," Rotunno said. "The priority now is to allow each of these injuries to heal fully and to progress through his rehabilitation in a controlled manner," he added.

Contract extension

The team also announced that Pogačar extended his contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG until the end of the 2032 season.

"From the beginning, this team has felt like home to me. We've grown together over the years and shared some incredible moments, so I'm very happy to extend my contract through 2032," Pogačar said.

He added there was still a lot he wanted to achieve in cycling, adding that he felt Team Emirates was the place to do it.

"I'm very grateful for the trust the team has shown in me and excited for what we can continue to build together," Pogačar said.

Photo: Instagram/tadejpogacar