Pogačar ends season after collarbone fracture at the Vuelta a España
Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar ended his 2026 season early after crashing on the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España. The athlete fractured his collarbone and required surgery, although at the time of the crash he was leading his closest rivals in the overall standings by nearly four minutes. This was reported by The National (UAE).
Victories in the classics
Over the season, Pogačar claimed 22 victories and added seven major titles to his record with the support of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. He won his first start of the year on March 7 at Strade Bianche in Tuscany: it was his third consecutive and fourth overall victory in the race. Paul Seixas finished second, while Pogačar’s teammate Isaac del Toro was third.
On March 21, the Slovenian won Milan–San Remo for the first time. He crashed before the key Cipressa climb, but returned to the race and beat Tom Pidcock by half a wheel at the finish. The success was Pogačar’s 11th victory in the Monument classics. He later defended his title at the Tour of Flanders by attacking with 18 km remaining, and also won Liège–Bastogne–Liège for the third consecutive time.
At Paris–Roubaix, Pogačar lost to Wout van Aert in a sprint at the Roubaix velodrome and finished second for the second consecutive year.
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Fifth Tour de France
In stage races, Pogačar won the Tour de Romandie in his debut appearance, taking four stage victories and finishing 42 seconds ahead of Florian Lipowitz in the overall standings. At the Tour de Suisse, he won three of five stages, while his lead over Richard Carapaz in the final classification was 6 minutes and 32 seconds.
The main result of the season was Pogačar’s fifth Tour de France victory on July 26. He won five stages, wore the yellow leader’s jersey for 16 of the 21 racing days, and finished 6 minutes and 26 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel. With this title, the Slovenian equaled Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain in the number of victories in the French stage race.
Early end to the year
At the Vuelta, Pogačar won the opening individual time trial by 0.09 seconds and also took victories on the fourth and sixth stages. The third stage was cancelled due to heavy hail. After the injury on the eighth stage, the cyclist said he would focus on recovery and returning to competition next year.
