'Collarbone strong, head strong' – Tadej Pogačar rides indoors for the first time since Vuelta a España crash

Tadej Pogačar posted an encouraging Instagram reel showing he was back on his home trainer 17 days after his devastating crash that took him out of the Vuelta a España on stage 8 while leading the race by almost four minutes.

The reigning World Champion ended his season after suffering a stable fracture in his neck, a broken collarbone and a concussion in the high-speed wreck. He had to wait two days to undergo surgery on his clavicle because of the concussion, but underwent a successful procedure on August 31.

Now, just over two weeks since his surgery, Pogačar was back on the trainer – which presumably means his concussion symptoms have abated.

On the reel, Pogačar posted photos of himself in a sling, eating ice cream with partner Urška Žigart, who fractured her jaw in a crash in the Faun Tour Femmes, their cat and, importantly, riding on his home trainer.

“Not quite how we planned to spend September. 😅❤️ At least we have good company. A big thank you to our teams, families, friends and all of you for the amazing support. We are very grateful,” he wrote.

“First time back, collarbone strong, head strong, heart rate high, super happy. Let’s go!” a visibly pleased Pogačar says in a video clip in the reel.

Pogačar won three stages of the Vuelta and had accumulated a lead of 3:50 over eventual winner Enric Mas (Movistar) before his crash brought his race to an end. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Gandia before being transferred to Barcelona.

After his surgery, UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed that the injuries meant he would not be defending his title at the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal but also announced he had extended his contract through 2032.

While he was recovering at home in Monaco, Žigart joined him in ending the season on Saturday after re-fracturing her jaw, originally broken in a horrific crash on stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse in June.