Pogačar reveals three broken vertebrae and depression after Vuelta crash

The crash and the diagnosis

Tadej Pogačar, 28, crashed on 29 August during a Vuelta a España stage while wearing the red leader's jersey. The first diagnosis listed a severe concussion, a fractured left collarbone and one broken vertebra, C7. Speaking to The Athletic, the Slovene said a further CT scan in Slovenia, carried out about two weeks before the interview, showed two more fractured vertebrae, T1 and T2. The interview was published on 31 October, exactly two months after the accident. He had spent four days in a Barcelona hospital before returning to Monaco, and this was his first interview since the crash.

Balance, depression and a difficult convalescence

Pogačar said the early weeks of recovery were the hardest, and he spent them at his home in Monte Carlo. According to The Athletic, the concussion had left the balance organs in his inner ear fully out of alignment, which brought on nausea, vertigo and poor coordination. He said he could not shower without help from the team doctor and could not stand up or lower his head without dizziness. He described himself as low, almost depressed, and said some days passed without him wanting to do anything. Looking back on the scan results, he put the moment simply.

“I'm just happy to be alive, actually, or just to be standing.”

Missing Europe and a lingering fear

He had hoped to ride the European Championships in Slovenia on 4 October, a race about 10 km from his parents' home. Medical checks showed the fractures had not healed well enough, and that plan collapsed. He has since trained on the bike, run and swum, and says he has no discomfort left. He still worries about another fall and described the limits he now works within.

“I have to be careful not to crash on the bike, or do some heavy lifting with my left arm or with my neck.”

Calls for safer racing

He wants race routes prepared more carefully, particularly over the final 500 metres, with broken asphalt, potholes, speed bumps and roundabouts avoided. He directed a message at the UCI, saying there is a lot to do but that measuring socks and handlebar width should not be the focus. The crash, he said, reinforced his views on safety in racing. Such injuries are easy to underestimate, he added, until a rider looks up how serious they are.

What comes next

Pogačar has said he hopes to ride the Tour de France, the road world championships and the Vuelta next season. He had to give up the road world championships in September this year, a race he had won in each of the two previous editions. His crash and recovery timeline runs from the August accident to the publication of the interview.