The men’s and women’s Tour de Suisse are running side by side this year, sharing the same roads and finish locations. That made for an anxious day for Tadej Pogačar, who began his stage just hours after fiancée Urška Žigart suffered a horrific crash.
The horror crash at the Tour de Suisse
Žigart was taken to hospital earlier in the day following a frightening crash in the final kilometre of the women’s stage. Riding at the front of a chasing group, she hit a speed bump, lost control of her bike and slammed heavily onto the road. It was a very, very scary fall, leaving her briefly unresponsive.
Thankfully she regained consciousness, and her injuries were not nearly as severe as they could have been given the speed of the crash. We’ve seen too many crashes like this in recent years, and some have ended in tragedy.
Her team, AG Insurance-Soudal, later confirmed she had suffered a fractured jaw. Doctors are also assessing her for a possible concussion. Crashing at 50+km/h and hitting the asphalt…that could have been much, much worse.
Off to see Žigart
Pogačar opted not to speak to reporters after Stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse on Thursday, choosing instead to head straight to hospital to be with Žigart.
Urška Žigart had to talk Tadej Pogačar into staying in the Tour de France
The Slovenian had little choice but to attend the post-stage podium ceremony after retaining the overall lead, points and mountains jerseys. Once that was over, however, he beelined for Locarno Hospital, located just a short distance from the finish.
Žigart and Pogačar
Pogačar has often credited his Slovenian partner as being crucial to his success.
“She’s an incredible help to me, more than I can even admit,” he said. “Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. She makes my life easier, both on and off the bike.”
Even at the 2024 worlds, which Pogačar went on to win, Žigart played her part. After oversleeping on race morning, it was his fiancée who made sure he got up in time.
“We had to wake up quite early today, and I’m not a guy who wakes up early, so I had three alarms,” Pogi said after. “First one, turn off, back to sleep, and then Urška woke me up. All good. No stress.”
The support has always gone both ways. Back in 2023, Žigart was by Pogačar’s side after one of the toughest days of his career, when he was dropped by Jonas Vingegaard on Stage 5 of the Tour de France. He later admitted he wanted to quit the race. Cycling is a tough sport, as we know. It was also a difficult day for Žigart, who was forced to abandon the Giro d’Italia Women after suffering a concussion.
A tough day for one cyclist, let alone two.
Cycling may know them as its power couple, but moments like these are bigger than racing. Žigart has been having a great 2026. She had just finished an impressive eighth overall at the Giro d’Italia Women, just behind Oro-Medonte, Ont., native Isabella Holmgren.
Although she appeared on Thursday’s results sheet, her Tour de Suisse is over. For now, the focus is on making a full recovery. But hopefully we will see the talented climber back on the road, whether it’s training in Monaco, or racing the women’s WorldTour.