Five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar revealed he is “just happy to be alive” following a high-speed crash at the Vuelta a Espana in August that resulted in three fractured vertebrae, a broken collarbone, and a severe concussion, according to bbc.co.uk.
Fantasy & Market Impact
- Grand Tour Dominance Paused: Pogacar’s indefinite recovery timeline rules him out until 2027 without placing a timeline on his return to competition.
The Anatomy of a Career-Threatening Crash
The 28-year-old Slovenian entered the Spanish Grand Tour aiming to complete the set of Grand Tour titles, having already secured a Giro d’Italia victory alongside his five Tour de France yellow jerseys. Instead, a catastrophic spill in August ended his campaign prematurely. While initial medical assessments identified a broken collarbone and a C7 neck fracture, subsequent scans performed in his home country uncovered further damage. Speaking to The Athletic, Pogacar admitted that discovering the extent of the trauma shifted his perspective entirely away from cycling and toward basic survival.
Cycling superstar Tadej Pogacar thought he had broken one vertebrae in his spine. In fact, it was three.Pogacar saw his season come to a terrifying halt at the Vuelta a España on August 29.He spoke exclusively to The Athletic about the mental and physical toll of recovery,…
“I knew I had a C7 fracture, but then we saw I had two more broken vertebrae, the T1 and T2.”
Pogacar told The Athletic, as noted by bbc.co.uk.
“At that moment, I was happy I didn’t do the European Championships, which had been my initial goal. When I saw I had three broken vertebrae? I’m just happy to be alive actually, or just to be standing.”
The Athletic
Neurological Toll and the Long Road to Rehabilitation
Beyond the skeletal injuries, the severity of the concussion triggered debilitating neurological symptoms that severely impacted his daily life for weeks.
The deficit in basic vestibular function left him incapable of independent personal care during the acute recovery phase. He required direct assistance from the team doctor merely to shower, paralyzed by vertigo whenever he stood up or lowered his head. The mental toll matched the physical deterioration; Pogacar acknowledged he was mentally unwell and difficult to be around during the opening weeks off the bike.
| Injury Sustained | Initial Diagnosis | Revised Scan Findings |
|---|---|---|
| Collarbone | Surgical fracture | Surgical repair completed |
| Cervical Spine | C7 fracture | Confirmed |
| Thoracic Spine | Undiagnosed | T1 and T2 fractures discovered |
Cautious Outlook for the 2027 Pelotons
Recovery accelerated once rehabilitation protocols allowed him to transition onto a home trainer and resume physiotherapy sessions. UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed that the decision to bench their star rider for the remainder of the calendar year was designed to guarantee complete healing without enforcing an arbitrary return date. While he missed the opportunity to defend his rainbow jersey at the World Championships in Montreal, his functional capacity has largely returned for standard daily movements.
Despite clearance to resume normal activities, the psychological impact of the incident lingers. Pogacar noted that heavy neck lifting and upper-body loading require caution, while the prospect of future crashes introduces a sobering tactical reality to his future racing style.
“If I crash again on the bike now, it can be very problematic.”
Pogacar stated, according to bbc.co.uk.
“Everybody says that I was lucky, and you’re always lucky after a crash where you can walk away and you’re fine. You see it’s pretty serious and not to joke around. It’s a bit scary, to be honest, to think about it.”
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