Pogacar Will Not Race Again This Year and Has Signed With the Same Team Until 2032
A crash on stage eight of the Vuelta ended his season. The contract extension announced in the same week runs six more years.
Tadej Pogacar crashed on the eighth stage of the Vuelta a Espana on 29 August, between Pucol and Xeraco, while leading the race. He has not raced since and will not race again in 2026.
The injuries are a complex collarbone fracture, a stable fracture of the seventh cervical vertebra, concussion, cuts to the face and damage to the left knee. He had surgery in Barcelona on 31 August and was back at home in Monaco by 2 September with his arm in a sling.
What that costs is specific. The road World Championships are in Canada on 27 September and he was going for a third consecutive rainbow jersey. The European Championships are in Slovenia on 4 October. Il Lombardia is on 20 October. All three are gone.
His team doctor, Adrian Rotunno, said there is no benefit in accelerating recovery simply to meet a racing deadline. The team boss, Mauro Gianetti, said there is absolutely no pressure to return this year. With a neck fracture, that language is not diplomacy.
In the same week the team announced an extension to 2032, six further seasons. Terms were not disclosed.
He had won three stages of this Vuelta before the crash, including the opening day in Monaco. Enric Mas has the race lead now. Stage fifteen runs from Palma del Rio to Cordoba today, and the race finishes without him.