Tadej Pogacar undergoes successful surgery after Vuelta a España crash

Tadej Pogačar has successfully undergone surgery on his fractured left collarbone following the crash that ended his Vuelta a España on stage 8.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed on Monday evening that Pogačar had received medical clearance to undergo the procedure after initially having surgery delayed due to concussion precautions.

“This afternoon, Tadej underwent successful surgery on his left clavicle after receiving the all clear to proceed with the operation,” team medical director Dr Adrian Rotunno said.

“The procedure went well and he will remain in hospital for post operative monitoring for a few days.”

Pogačar will return home once doctors are satisfied with his condition, where he will begin his rehabilitation under the supervision of the UAE medical team.

“When ready, Tadej will travel home to begin his recovery and rehabilitation under the supervision of the team’s medical staff,” Rotunno added. “We will continue to monitor his progress closely throughout the recovery process.”

The operation comes two days after Pogačar crashed heavily with 32 kilometres remaining on stage 8 of the Vuelta.

The Slovenian hit a large rock at the side of the road and went down at high speed. He initially attempted to continue but was ultimately forced to abandon the race.

The accident brought an abrupt end to a Vuelta campaign in which Pogačar had won three stages and built a 3:50 lead over Enric Mas. He had been attempting to complete his collection of Grand Tour victories after previously winning both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.

A subsequent hospital assessment revealed a concussion, a displaced fracture of his left collarbone, a stable C7 cervical fracture and multiple abrasions. UAE confirmed that no other major injuries or neurological damage had been detected.

The displaced collarbone fracture required surgery, but doctors first had to wait for Pogačar to progress sufficiently through concussion protocol before giving the green light for the operation.

UAE boss Mauro Gianetti had described the procedure as a significant one when discussing Pogačar’s condition on Sunday.

Attention will now turn to Pogačar’s recovery and whether there is any possibility of the world champion returning to competition before the end of the season.

The men’s road race at the World Championships in Montréal takes place on September 27, leaving Pogačar less than four weeks to recover from his injuries and surgery.

Members of his entourage have so far stopped short of definitively ruling out a defence of his rainbow jersey, although Gianetti admitted over the weekend that competing in Montréal appears increasingly unlikely.

“Of course, recovering in time for the World Championships doesn't seem likely,” Gianetti said on Sunday. “But we’ll see how things progress over the next few days.”