Speaking after stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse on Thursday, UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager Mauro Gianetti said Tadej Pogačar received the news of partner Urška Žigart's crash in the women's race just before the men's stage start, and that the world champion was visibly shaken.
Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal) crashed in the final kilometre of stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse Women at speeds exceeding 50km/h, according to Gianetti. Her team confirmed she has been diagnosed with a fractured jaw, with no other injuries detected during hospital examinations. AG Insurance-Soudal said its medical staff are evaluating the next steps for treatment and recovery.
Gianetti said he went to see Pogačar before the start and tried to reassure him that Žigart's injuries were not life-threatening, but that the 27-year-old was clearly affected.
"He wasn’t really mentally in race mode," Gianetti said in an interview on Cycling Pro Net's YouTube channel, translating from French. "I could see he was quite shaken before the start. It wasn’t like usual." It is completely understandable that the world champion was upset and visibly shaken by the incident.
During the stage, Gianetti visited the hospital himself and then called the team's sports directors so they could relay updates to Pogačar through his earpiece. Pogačar was kept informed of Žigart's condition throughout the race.
When asked if Pogačar can normally block out these sorts of things and focus on the job in hand Gianetti said that he can usually but this was, of course, different. "Normally he can put aside everything that's going on around him, but not his partner," he said. "As you can imagine, for everyone, your partner, your family, it's different."
Four seconds short despite a difficult day
Despite everything, Pogačar showed his ability yet again and distanced everyone of his rivals aside from Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek). They set off in pursuit of the breakaway who were riding hard to stay out front, but the duo rode hard and just missed out on competing for the win, finishing four seconds behind with Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) taking the stage win. Pogačar had initially worked for teammate Jhonatan Narváez, but the Ecuadorian could not match Vacek's pace, so Pogačar pressed on himself.
At the point of the course where Žigart came down it was very evident that Pogačar eased off the pedals and followed the wheel of Vacek rather than pushing hard. Something that may have cost them a chance on the stage, but safety is always more important.
The day saw the race leader extend his lead to 2:50 over Richard Carapaz after just two stages after his dominant 72km solo effort on stage 1.
"We saw that at the end, he still tried to do his best," said Gianetti. "The break was so far ahead it was practically impossible to catch them, but he tried right to the finish. Even in difficult moments, he is so professional. We never have enough words to thank Tadej."
After completing podium duties and anti-doping controls, Pogačar headed to the hospital with Gianetti. The facility was just 300 to 400 metres from the finish area. Gianetti confirmed that Žigart's condition was stable, while acknowledging the initial scene had been alarming. "When she was lying on the road, it wasn't pretty to see," he said. Gianetti added that fortunately there was "rien de grave" – suggesting no critical injuries.
AG Insurance-Soudal said further updates on Žigart's condition would be provided when appropriate.
Cover image: RCS Sport
