Pogacar’s 2025 Tour knee injury caused by crash with Visma team car
Tadej Pogacar’s knee problems during the 2025 Tour de France were caused by his pre-race collision with a Visma | Lease a Bike team car, his agent Alex Carera has revealed in the Domestique Hotseat podcast. The incident had more serious consequences than initially believed.
Carera revealed the previously unknown detail during an appearance on the Domestique Hotseat podcast, explaining that the crash into the Visma vehicle triggered the injury that troubled Pogačar during the final days of the race.
“When he goes against the car of Visma, he’s really unlucky because it’s a crazy situation,” Carera said on Domestique Hotseat. “After that of course he’s worried because he doesn’t feel well.”
The incident occurred before stage 18 of the Tour de France when Pogačar crashed into the back of a Visma team car while riding to the start line. At the time the yellow jersey laughed off the moment, joking in interviews that the rival team “wanted to check my brakes”.
Behind the scenes, however, the impact had more serious consequences.
According to Carera, the crash caused the knee issue that would complicate Pogačar's final days in the race. The injury was severe enough that starting one of the remaining stages briefly became uncertain.
“One day he’s not sure to start the stage,” Carera said when describing the situation in the final block of racing.
The problem was deliberately kept quiet during the Tour to avoid giving rivals tactical information. “It was my job to protect him so this information didn’t go out,” Carera explained. “If other teams knew he had an injury, the tactics could change and become more aggressive.”
Carera’s comments echo earlier statements from Pogačar's teammate Tim Wellens about the seriousness of the situation.
Despite the injury scare, Pogačar managed to survive the brutal Alpine stages and ultimately secure his fourth Tour de France victory. Carera credited Pogačar's experience and composure for helping him navigate the situation during the final week of the race.
“With his experience he passed this bad time,” Carera said. “If he didn’t have that experience, maybe he loses the Tour.”
This year, the 27-year-old Slovenian has once again identified the Tour de France as one of his main objectives, as he chases a fifth overall victory that would place him alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Listen to the full Hotseat podcast with Alex Carera👇
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