Tadej Pogacar 'beaten up' but grateful as GC rivals wait after crash

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) endured a late scare when he crashed in the finale of stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse. Although the world champion avoided time loss and serious injury in the incident, he acknowledged that it could have an impact on Thursday’s summit finish at Hautacam.

The crash took place with 4km remaining, when Pogačar was inadvertently brought down as Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) moved abruptly from left to right in front of him.

Pogačar was quickly back on his feet and soon back on his bike, though he risked losing 20 seconds or so until the yellow jersey group opted to sit up and wait for his return. The Slovenian eventually came home alongside leader Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), 3:28 down on the day’s winner Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility).

Pogačar appeared to receive abrasions to his left forearm and legs in the crash, but manager Mauro Gianetti suggested the injuries "not so big," a view shared by his rider.

“I’m quite ok. I’m a bit beaten up, but we’ve been through worse days,” Pogačar said in an interview released by his team after the finish. 

“It’s been a hectic day from start to finish. In the end I had a little bit of a crash. Thanks to the peloton in front, they actually waited. Obviously, the race was more or less over back there but still they could have taken time. Maybe not too much time, but I would have had to go really deep to come back, so big respect to everybody in front and thanks for your support, guys.”

The stage was a rapid one from start to finish, and although the peloton had eventually allowed the break some leeway in the final two hours of racing, the GC contenders sparked into action on the last climb of the Côte de Pech David, where Vingegaard and his Visma teammate Matteo Jorgenson attacked. That tension continued on the run-in to Toulouse.

“We came down from the climb, I think everybody was a bit à bloc. There were attacks from Matteo and Jonas, they really put everybody on the limit,” said Pogacar. “Jonny [Narváez] did a super good job and we started to control a little bit the group.

But, of course, people want to take any seconds on a final like this, they start to attack and people start to follow. 

“Unfortunately, one rider decided to follow from left to the right side of the road, and I don't know, he didn’t see me, and he just completely cut me off, my front wheel. Luckily, I just have a little bit of skin off. I was scared when I saw the sidewalk that I was going with my head directly to the sidewalk, but luckily my skin is tough and stopped me before the sidewalk.”

Pogačar remains second overall, 29 seconds down on Healy and a minute clear of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep). He has 1:17 in hand on his chief rival Vingegaard ahead of the Tour’s entry into the Pyrenees. On Thursday, Pogačar will return to Hautacam, where he definitively lost the 2022 Tour after being dropped by Vingegaard.

“Tomorrow is a big day coming,” Pogačar said. “We’ll see how I recover. Normally the day after a crash you're never at the best, but I will give my best tomorrow, and we’ll see. I think we’re ready as a team for Hautacam.”

UAE Team Emirates-XRG medical director Dr Adrian Rotunno later confirmed that Pogačar had sustanined no fractures or concussion in the crash.

"After a full examination post-stage, fortunately Tadej suffered no serious injury. No concussion or fractures. He has some general bruising, and abrasions to his left forearm and hip, but is otherwise okay," he said.

"We will continue to monitor him, but at this stage he is medically cleared to continue racing."