Tadej Pogacar, who abandoned the Vuelta a España on Saturday after a severe crash, reappeared on social media this Sunday with a photo from the hospital with the song by the Bee Gees “Stayin’ alive”.
The AFP agency reported that Pogacar, firm leader of La Vuelta until his crash, greeted his followers on his Instagram account with a photo showing him in a hospital bed wearing a cervical collar.
Tadej Pogacar reappears after his brutal crash in the Vuelta a España
The Slovenian also shows a dressing near his right eyebrow, as well as on his right hand, with which he makes his usual gesture with the index and pinky fingers raised.
The UAE cyclist accompanies his photo with the music of the Bee Gees’ song “Stayin’ alive”, appearing upbeat as he awaits surgery on his collarbone, he said.
Pogacar fell on Saturday during the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España 32 km from the finish line in the Valencian town of Xeraco, which was initially expected to be a transitional stage and ended with a sprint victory by the Frenchman Bryan Coquard.
What will happen is uncertain
According to the medical report provided by his team, Pogacar, who was aiming to win the Spanish tour, suffered a “concussion, displaced fracture of the left collarbone, stable fracture of the cervical vertebra C7, and multiple abrasions”.
“Fortunately, he has no other serious injuries or neurological sequelae. He will have to undergo surgery on the collarbone, which will be postponed as a precaution due to the concussion,” added UAE.
Pogacar’s team does not specify his recovery time, but his situation seems to rule out defending his world title at the end of September in Canada.
The psychological aspect also matters
Spanish Josean Fernández Matxín, director of UAE, said Pogacar “is devastated” after the crash that forced the red jersey to withdraw from La Vuelta, but appealed to the team’s fighting spirit to “fight for other goals”.
“Tadej had a bad night, he is devastated. It is a very difficult situation, but it must be accepted. He sacrificed a lot to be in shape, and when he had the Vuelta on the path to victory, the crash happened at the end. Yesterday there were 200 roundabouts and he fell in a not very complicated situation. It’s all over,” the coach said on TVE.
Matxín said that “all the riders have sacrificed themselves for him on the sporting level, also the public, everyone…” and added: “But, well, the best team in the world continues in the race and we must keep looking for an alternative to a general classification that has been lost. We will fight to maintain the essence of the team.”
The UAE director noted that “an assessment will be made after the surgical intervention” to which Pogacar will be subjected in Barcelona, and, seeing “the evolution,” they will evaluate “whether the season is over or not.”
Matxín, whose team also suffered the abandonment of Pablo Torres today, highlighted the fighting spirit of his team members. “The attitude of the guys when Tadej fell was admirable. They all stopped, and the loss of minutes is anecdotal.
The commitment to Tadej Pogacar is total, he is the best cyclist in the world. A stone has been thrown in the way, but the team will be attacking and uncompromising, we will fight for him,” he concluded.
EFE noted that in this edition of the Vuelta a España, Pogacar aimed to add the only grand tour missing from his palmarès, after accumulating five Tour de France titles and one Giro d’Italia and the third place achieved in his only previous participation in the Spanish tour.
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