Six weeks after horror crash, Zigart starts Tour: ‘I have to enjoy my life’
Urska Zigart will line up at the Tour de France Femmes on Saturday, just six weeks after a heavy crash at the Tour de Suisse Women left her with a fractured jaw.
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For several moments after the fall in Locarno on 18 June, making the Tour appeared a distant prospect. Žigart hit a traffic calming feature inside the final kilometre of stage two, lost control near the front of a chasing group and was thrown heavily onto the road.
She remembers little of what followed.
“The only thing I remember is waking up on the ground and people asking whether I knew where I was,” Žigart told Sporza ahead of the Tour.
“I have seen the footage and it did not look very nice. I hope no family ever has to watch something like that on television.”
The Slovenian still managed to cross the finish line before being taken to hospital. Examinations found no injuries beyond the fractured jaw, an outcome Žigart considers fortunate given the violence of the crash.
Surgery was not required because the fractured sections had remained aligned. Her recovery instead involved limiting movement and spending an extended period on soft food.
“I was very lucky,” she said. “After the first week, I could already see that I was recovering more quickly than expected. I was back on the bike very soon.”
In the days after the crash, CPA Women called for stronger safety measures, arguing that serious incidents continued despite the creation of SafeR, the organisation responsible for improving safety across the sport, and urging the organisation to improve how hazards are identified and addressed before races.
A faster return than expected
Once doctors allowed her to resume training, Žigart joined AG Insurance Soudal at an altitude camp, where the team managed her preparation and recovery.
The next challenge was regaining enough form to earn a place on the Tour start line.
“I was riding well enough to start here,” she said. “And now I am here.”
Žigart is realistic about her condition after losing a significant part of her Tour preparation. She does not expect to arrive with the form she might have had without the crash, but the experience has changed how she approaches the race.
“I cannot say that I am in the form of my life,” she said. “But after such a terrible crash, I know that I have to enjoy my life. That is what I will try to do.”
“I am very grateful to be here, to be able to walk, to ride my bike and to enjoy all of this.”
Working for Le Court
Žigart will begin the Tour in a supporting role, with AG Insurance Soudal aiming to put Kim Le Court in the yellow jersey.
“The team goal is very clear,” Žigart said. “We are here to take yellow with Kim.”
Personal opportunities may come later in the race, but her immediate priority is to help Le Court whenever possible.
“Of course, there are always personal goals, but for me, I am here to enjoy the race. If I can do something for her along the way, that would be great.”
The final stage around Nice carries particular significance. Žigart lives in the area with her partner, five time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar, and knows the surrounding roads well.
“They are my home roads,” Žigart said. “I would be very happy if I were given some freedom.”
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