Tadej Pogacar will not race again this season after a crash at the Vuelta a España left him with multiple injuries, including a stable fracture in his neck.
The five-time Tour de France champion went down on the race's eighth stage last month while leading the event from a dominant position. He required surgery for a broken collarbone, suffered a concussion and multiple abrasions, and has been ruled out of the remainder of the campaign.
The injuries end Pogacar's bid to complete the set of Grand Tour titles this year, adding the Vuelta to his Giro d'Italia and Tour de France victories. They also remove him from the start list for the World Championships in Montreal later this month, where he had been due to defend the rainbow jersey.
Pogacar addressed the setback in a team statement, saying, "Of course, this isn't the way I wanted my season to finish. Right now, the most important thing is to recover properly and give my body the time it needs. It has been a season with many special moments and I'm proud of what we achieved together. Now I'll focus on getting healthy, supporting the guys from home, and coming back next year ready for what's ahead."
UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed the rider will not compete again until 2027, a decision the squad framed as allowing Pogacar to return to full health "without placing a timeline on his return to competition." The team also announced Pogacar has agreed a two-year contract extension, keeping him under contract until 2032.
The calendar impact is immediate. Pogacar will miss the European Championships in Ljubljana and the one-day Monument Il Lombardia in October, events where he had been due to appear. The team must now proceed through the autumn and the 2025 season without their designated leader in competition.
For Pogacar, the priority is recovery and rehabilitation. The team’s decision to pause his racing programme through 2026 and the new contract signal a focus on long-term health rather than a rushed return. The next milestone to watch will be how the rider progresses through treatment and when the team clears him to resume training and competition.
