Pogačar’s surgery won’t be an easy one, and the World Championships are now in doubt

Tadej Pogačar could undergo surgery this Tuesday or Wednesday to address the displaced clavicle fracture he suffered in his fall during La Vuelta a España. Mauro Gianetti, head of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG, has now explained that the injury will require significant surgery, while the concussion sustained in the same accident continues to affect the timeline. With less than four weeks until the World Championship in Montreal, Gianetti himself acknowledges that his participation seems complicated.

Pogačar faces significant clavicle surgery

Two days after the fall, Mauro Gianetti updated Pogačar's condition on the RMC Sport podcast Bartoli Time and provided an approximate date for the intervention.

"If all goes well, he will be able to have clavicle surgery on Tuesday. The fracture is displaced, so it is a significant operation. It could be done on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on his recovery from the concussion," he explained.

Pogačar could not be operated on immediately after the accident. As we reported after his first night in the hospital, the doctors decided to wait due to the concussion, and his recovery will determine when he can finally enter the operating room.

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According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the surgery will take place at the Hospital Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona and will be performed by Dr. Xavier Mir, a well-known traumatologist who has treated numerous elite athletes and has operated on MotoGP riders such as Marc Márquez, Jorge Lorenzo, and Dani Pedrosa.

Despite the seriousness of the injuries, Gianetti assures that Pogačar's condition has evolved favorably during these first days.

"Tadej is doing well considering the circumstances, because the impact was violent. He suffered a fairly significant concussion, but today he is well and in good spirits. Despite everything, he says it could have been worse."

Four weeks until the World Championship, but Pogačar's case is more complex

Clavicle fractures are relatively common in professional cycling, and it is not unusual to see riders return to competition about four weeks after surgery. That is approximately the time remaining until the road race at the World Championship in Montreal, which will take place on September 27.

However, the usual timelines for a clavicle injury cannot be directly applied to Pogačar's case. Gianetti speaks of significant surgery due to the nature of the fracture, and additionally, the Slovenian must recover from the concussion that has already delayed the intervention.

Therefore, although there is still some leeway in the calendar to consider the World Championship, the UAE team is starting to see it as a difficult goal.

"The time margin is very short. He is still in the hospital and has not even had surgery yet. Obviously, recovering in time for the World Championship does not seem likely," acknowledges Gianetti.

The team does not want to rule him out definitively or set a return date just yet. First, they will need to see how he progresses from the concussion, perform the surgery, and then assess his recovery.

UAE will wait for the surgery before making decisions

Pogačar withdrew from La Vuelta a España during the eighth stage after a hard fall while wearing the red jersey. Subsequent tests confirmed a displaced fracture of the left clavicle, a stable fracture of the cervical vertebra C7, and a concussion.

Now all attention is focused on this week's surgery. Until the results are known, UAE will not make any decisions regarding the world champion's schedule.

"Now is not the time to make decisions based on emotions. We need to wait a few days," explained Gianetti.

In addition to the World Championship, Pogačar had the European Championship, which takes place in Slovenia, and the Giro di Lombardia marked as his major goals for the end of the season. For now, his return remains open and will depend on medical progress over the coming weeks.