Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is pushing to race Sunday’s European Championships in Slovenia despite his team’s decision to end his season after a Vuelta crash, El Periódico reports.
According to the report, Pogačar called the surgeon who operated on him after his crash, Xavier Mir, over the weekend to ask if he could race at his home European Championships. Mir reportedly saw no medical obstacle to his racing. However, UAE are less keen on their star rider rushing back.
Feltet asked UAE whether Pogačar riding the European Championships was an option but the team said he was not in contention. The elite men’s road race is on 4 October, less than six weeks after his crash. It covers 196.3km from Ljubljana to Šenčur with more than 2,500 metres of climbing.
Pogačar is the defending European champion and has been riding in his European champion’s kit with partner Urska Zigart (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Vuelta stage winner Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello-Q36.5). He posted to Strava to celebrate teammate Brandon McNulty’s world title.
Pogačar is keen to ride on home roads in Slovenia. The Slovenian federation has included him in its preselection, but his place on the final startlist is not confirmed.
The injuries behind UAE’s decision
Still wearing the leader’s red jersey, Pogačar crashed out of stage eight of the Vuelta on 29 August. He underwent surgery, and UAE said on 5 September that he would not return to competition in 2026.
UAE medical director Dr Adrian Rotunno said Pogačar was recovering well after surgery, but the team had decided with him to end his season. “However, given the combination of his injuries – the concussion, the stable C7 cervical fracture and the open clavicle fracture – we have taken the decision, together with Tadej, that he will not return to competition this season,” he said.
Rotunno said the fractures required structured rehabilitation and that Pogačar needed a graduated concussion recovery protocol with ongoing neurological monitoring. “There is no benefit in accelerating that process simply to meet a racing deadline,” he said.
Pogačar said in the same announcement: “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.” Team principal and CEO Mauro Gianetti said there was “absolutely no pressure for Tadej to return to racing this year.”
Pogačar returned to outdoor training on Saturday, September 26, just four weeks after his crash in what was a rapid recovery from a rather serious crash.
The crash meant he was unable to defend his title at the men’s World Championships in Montréal. His teammate McNulty won on 27 September.
Danish national coach Michael Mørkøv told Feltet he was not convinced Pogačar would miss the European race. “I personally have to see the start in Ljubljana before I believe Pogačar won’t ride it. It will probably remain in play until we are almost at the start of the race,” he said.
El Periódico also reports that Pogačar wants to use the European Championships as preparation for Il Lombardia on 10 October. He has won the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’ for the last five years in succession with the Slovenian potentially becoming the our right record holder ahead of the great Fausto Coppi who also has five wins to his name. But both starts remain uncertain, with UAE’s position unchanged for now.
