Tadej Pogacar has been back to training for a while now since his serious crash in the Vuelta a EspaƱa. The vertebral fracture and broken collarbone didnāt keep him sidelined for too long, so heās already hard at work in Monaco preparing for the next cycling season. And his training rides in the Principality sometimes take on some pretty bizarre forms.No World Championships and no European Championships for Pogacar after he suffered a hard crash in the eighth stage of the Vuelta.
The Slovenian was wearing the red jersey and seemed well on his way to the overall victory, but he hit a rock and suffered serious fractures.
Gone are the hopes for the red jersey, gone is a third consecutive world title, and gone is the European title on home soil. It was a huge disappointment for the team leader of UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
PogaÄar wasn’t able to defend his rainbow jersey in 2026
For a long time, there was still hope that he might be able to compete in Montreal after all, but after consulting with the doctors and his team, it was decided to call it a season.
But just one day before his competitors battled for the rainbow jersey, Pogacar was already back on the road. Thus, the journey toward 2027 began earlier than usual for the beleaguered superstar.
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Tadej Pogacar was badly battered after his crash.
Pogacar weaves his way through MonacoHeāll likely ride the Tour de France again, as well as the World Championships in Haute-Savoie. But the Vuelta will also be on his schedule again, as he mentioned earlier.
He will therefore skip the Giro dāItalia, preferring instead to take another shot at the red jerseyāthe Grand Tour that has so far eluded him. In any case, heās highly motivated.
poPogacar was spotted in his hometown of Monaco by the young talent Noah Alfrink, who rode in the Slovenianās slipstream for a while. Alfrink was training alongside Netcompany INEOS rider Josh Tarling from the UK.
But staying on his wheel in Monaco isnāt easyāthat much is clear: on the busy streets, Pogacar overtook a bus, among other things, and zigzagged between the cars. Now those are some sights to see…
Watch: Footage of Tadej Pogacar in Monaco