Five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogaćar will miss the remainder of the current season following injuries including neck fractures in the Vuelta a Espana.
His injury, which was sustained last month during the race’s eighth stage, will see the Slovenian miss out on defending his title at the World Championships that is set to happen soon.
Pogaćar had to withdraw from the Vuelta having been leading the race when he crashed. He had an operation for his broken collarbone and a concussion, besides a “stable” neck fracture.
The 27-year-old was set to complete the set of Grand Tour titles by winning the Vuelta to add to the one Giro d’Italia win and multiple Tour de France wins.
“Of course, this isn’t the way I wanted my season to finish,” Pogacar said in a statement released by his team, UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
“Right now, the most important thing is to recover properly and give my body the time it needs.
“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.”
Pogacar was scheduled to defend his crown in the European Championships in Ljubljana, which is in his native land, as well as in the Il Lombardia event, which is the last Monument one-day race of the year.
The team stated that the rider’s decision to refrain from racing until 2027 would enable him to recuperate fully “without imposing a time frame on his return to competition.”
Additionally, UAE Team Emirates-XRG revealed that the top rider has signed a new two-year contract, making it valid until 2032.
