Tadej Pogačar has returned to Slovenia ahead of the European Championships, but the injured UAE Team Emirates-XRG star will not compete in Sunday’s road race.
The Tour de France champion is reportedly back home to spend time with friends and family while continuing his recovery from the broken collarbone and C7 vertebra injuries suffered in his Vuelta a España crash. Although the European Championships are taking place in Slovenia, Pogačar has been ruled out of the event.
Earlier reports suggested that the 28-year-old had been keen to make a return for the championships on home soil. He was even believed to have contacted the doctor who performed his surgery in Barcelona. However, UAE Team Emirates-XRG did not want to risk his return to racing so soon after the injuries.
There was further confusion when the event organisers initially included Pogačar on the published start list. That list was subsequently considered outdated, with Slovenia confirming that the defending champion would not participate.
Primož Roglič will lead Slovenia’s team in Pogačar’s absence. The squad also features Gal Glivar, Matevž Govekar, Luka Mezgec, Matej Mohorič, Jan Tratnik, Domen Novak and Jakob Omrzel. Roglič and Tratnik are additionally scheduled to represent Slovenia in the individual time trial on October 7.
Pogačar’s absence also means he will no longer wear the European champion’s jersey. He won the title in France last year, giving him the distinctive jersey for the 2026 season. With a new champion set to be crowned this weekend, Pogačar will return to competition in the standard UAE Team Emirates-XRG kit, featuring rainbow bands on the sleeves to recognise his previous world titles.
The Slovenian had worn the rainbow jersey for two seasons after winning the 2024 and 2025 World Championships. His next opportunity to claim another distinctive national jersey will come at the 2027 Slovenian national championships in June, where he could compete in either the road race or time trial.
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