Pogačar will be at the World Championships in Canada supporting his national team

Tadej Pogacar will not be able to defend the rainbow jersey at the upcoming World Championship in Montreal, but he will be in Canada with the Slovenian team. Uroš Murn, the national coach, has confirmed that Pogacar will travel during the week of the World Championship to support his teammates and also his partner, Urška Žigart.

Pogacar will travel to Canada despite having finished his season

The severe crash that Tadej Pogacar suffered during the eighth stage of La Vuelta completely changed his season's end. The Slovenian had to withdraw as the leader, and it was later confirmed that he had a concussion, a displaced fracture of the left clavicle, and a stable fracture of the cervical vertebra C7.

After undergoing surgery, Pogacar is fully focused on his recovery and UAE Team Emirates-XRG has already confirmed that he will not compete again in 2026.

This means he will not be able to attempt to win his third consecutive rainbow jersey, but Uroš Murn has just confirmed that he will be present in Montreal.

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"I can confirm that Tadej will travel to Canada during the week leading up to the road race. He will arrive on Tuesday and stay until the end. In any case, he will join us," explained the coach.

Pogacar will be there as a fan and as support for the team. Additionally, he will have another important reason to follow the World Championship from the road, as his partner Urška Žigart will also compete for Slovenia.

Roglic will be Slovenia's main hope

Without Pogacar, Primoz Roglic becomes the main Slovenian reference. However, his presence at the World Championship was not completely decided before La Vuelta began.

"Before La Vuelta, I still didn't know for sure if I would go to the World Championship. We agreed to talk during the second rest day. Then he happily confirmed his participation because he himself saw that he is in excellent shape and can take advantage of it. There were no conditions regarding the role of captain.", explained Murn.

The coach believes that the riders who finish La Vuelta in good condition can arrive especially strong in Canada.

Pogacar's absence also completely changes Slovenia's strategy. In recent years, having the top favorite forced them to take much of the race control. This time they can play from a different position.

"From what I see in the media, they have somewhat sidelined us now, and that definitely works in our favor."

Murn expects a much more open race with more attacks. Belgium will, in his opinion, be one of the teams that will have to take control, although they will also have to manage the aspirations of their two great leaders: Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert.

Evenepoel is the big favorite for Murn

Among all the candidates for the rainbow jersey, the Slovenian coach places Remco Evenepoel above the rest. "I'm sure we'll see him in the final. He is the top favorite."

But Murn also points out several riders who are showing great form in La Vuelta and could arrive in Montreal in optimal condition if they manage to recover from the fatigue of three weeks of competition. "La Vuelta has shown who really has good legs, and they will also have to be taken into account. From Enric Mas to Oscar Onley, Felix Gall…".

The change of scenery will also allow for a modification of the role of cyclists like Matej Mohoric, who should have greater freedom to seek offensive moves without having to work for Pogacar.

Another unknown is Jakob Omrzel. Murn wants to wait until La Vuelta is over to see how he adapts to his first Grand Tour before confirming his presence definitively.

Slovenia will thus arrive in Montreal with Roglic as the main reference and a much more open strategy than initially planned. And although the world champion will not be able to defend his title on the bike, Tadej Pogacar will be there to support his teammates and Urška Žigart in a World Championship he was originally supposed to arrive at as the man to beat.