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Tadej Pogacar, a Slovenian cyclist who was forced to withdraw from the Vuelta a España after a terrifying fall, has broken his silence with a snap from a hospital.
On Sunday, August 30, Pogacar, who was set to lead the Vuelta until his crash, shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed wearing a neck brace. The Instagram Story was accompanied by the Bee Gees' track Stayin' Alive.
The Slovenian five-time Tour de France winner could also be seen with a plaster near his right eyebrow, as well as on his right hand, which he held in a "punk rock" sign.
Tadej Pogacar's crash at the Vuelta a España
Pogacar crashed on Saturday during the eighth stage of the Vuelta, just over 30 km from the finish line in the town of Xeraco.
The cyclist had been leading by a massive three minutes and 50 seconds a week into the race, and was a favourite to secure victory.
Tadej Pogacar's condition after Vuelta's crash
According to the medical report provided by his team, Pogacar, who was aiming to win the race for the first time, was "diagnosed with a concussion, displaced left clavicle fracture, a stable C7 cervical fracture, and multiple abrasions".
In a statement, UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s medical director, Adrian Rotunno shared that Pogacar suffered "no other major injuries and no neurological fallout". The team has not specified how long Pogacar will be out of action, but it seems unlikely he will be fit to defend his world title in late September in Canada.
However, it was reported that he required surgery on a broken collarbone, as the statement added, "He will require clavicle surgery which will be delayed due to concussion precautions. Tadej remains under the care of our medical team and we’ll provide further updates following the surgery."
Pogacar fell after brushing shoulders with another rider and losing control of his handlebars.
While he tried to remount after a couple of minutes, the 27-year-old cried out "no" and winced in pain when he touched his bike.
He was then led to an ambulance as his teammates set off up the road towards the finish line.
Saturday marked the first time Tadej Pogacar failed to finish a grand tour.
