Pogacar out of European Championships after all, ending talk of shock early comeback

Tadej Pogačar will not defend his title at the European Championships in Ljubljana on Sunday, despite reports that suggested he was in line for a surprise early return to action after the crash that forced him to abandon the Vuelta a España as race leader a month ago.

The five-time Tour de France champion has not been included in the team that was announced by the Slovenian Federation after UAE Team Emirates-XRG said it was wrong to force his recovery.   

The Slovenian team for the men's elite road race will be led by Primož Roglič, who was on the attack at the World Championships in Canada last week. Roglič and Jan Tratnik will also compete in the time trial early next week.

Pogačar suffered a broken collarbone and cervical fracture in a crash on stage 8 of the Vuelta to Xeraco. He underwent surgery in Barcelona two days later, and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad subsequently announced that his season was over, ruling him out of planned starts at the World Championships, European Championships and Il Lombardia.

Pogačar was listed in Slovenia’s preliminary selection for the European Championships, and speculation about his participation increased when he chose the eve of the Worlds road race to announce that he had returned to training on the road.

On Monday, El País reported that Pogačar was actively pushing to race the European Championships, despite the misgivings of UAE’s management staff. According to El País, Pogačar contacted Xavier Mir, the surgeon who operated on his collarbone, to request formal medical clearance to return to competition.

However UAE team manager Mauro Gianetti quickly moved to play down the speculation that Pogačar would race in Slovenia.    

“The rider’s desire is understandable,” Gianetti told La Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday. “But you have to face the reality of the facts. It’s not possible, you can’t force it.”

Although Gianetti acknowledged that racing the European Championships on home roads was “a unique opportunity, one that won’t come again,” he insisted that the focus had to be on Pogačar’s recovery.

“It would be nice to see him at the start, but the priority has to go to following all the right steps for his recovery, and in the right timeframe.”

When the Slovenian federation announced its final selection on Wednesday, Pogačar’s name was not included on the list, and it seems his 2026 season is over after all.

According to Slovenian broadcaster RTVSLO, Gal Glivar , Matevž Govekar , Luka Mezgec , Matej Mohorič , Domen Novak , Primož Roglič , Jan Tratnik and Jakob Omrzel have been selected for the men's road race squad. 

Pogačar won last year’s European Championships in the Ardèche with a devastating solo effort just a week after he had won his second successive Worlds in Kigali. He would go on to end his season by winning a fifth straight edition of Il Lombardia.

In Pogačar’s absence, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG trade teammate Brandon McNulty soloed to the rainbow jersey at the end of a spectacular Worlds road race in Montreal. McNulty and Isaac del Toro look set to lead UAE at Il Lombardia on October 10.

The European Championships road race on Sunday, meanwhile, offers a chance at redemption for a number of riders who fell short in Canada, most notably Remco Evenepoel.