Five-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar will not compete again in 2026 after sustaining several injuries in his crash at the Vuelta a España, including a fracture to his neck.
The Slovenian suffered the injuries during the eighth stage of the race last month. As a result, he will miss the World Championships in Montreal later this month, where he had been expected to defend his rainbow jersey.
Pogačar was leading the Vuelta comfortably when he crashed out of the race. He subsequently underwent surgery for a broken collarbone and was also diagnosed with a concussion, a stable neck fracture and several abrasions.
The 27-year-old had been hoping to complete his collection of Grand Tour victories by adding the Vuelta title to his previous Giro d’Italia triumph and multiple Tour de France successes.
Pogačar said he was disappointed that his season had ended in this manner but stressed that his priority was now making a full recovery.
“Right now, the most important thing is to recover properly and give my body the time it needs,” he said in a statement issued by UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
He added that the season had produced many memorable moments and that he was proud of what he and his team had accomplished. His focus, he said, would now be on recovering, supporting his teammates from home and returning in 2027 ready for the challenges ahead.
Pogačar was also scheduled to compete at the European Championships in Ljubljana in October, where he would have raced on home soil. He had also been expected to defend his title at Il Lombardia, the final Monument Classic of the season.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed that Pogačar’s decision to remain out of competition until 2027 is intended to give him enough time to fully recover, with no fixed timetable set for his return to racing.
The team also announced that the Slovenian superstar has extended his contract for another two years, keeping him with UAE Team Emirates-XRG until 2032.
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