A day after his horrific crash at the Vuelta, the badly injured cycling star Tadej Pogacar sent greetings to his fans from hospital – and clearly hasn’t lost his sense of humour. Set to the Bee Gees’ classic ‘Stayin’ Alive’, the Tour de France champion posted a photo of himself in his hospital bed on Instagram. His neck is protected by a neck brace, whilst the wounds on his head, shoulder and hand have been dressed.
Pogacar suffered a serious crash on Saturday during the eighth stage of the Tour of Spain. He sustained a displaced fracture of his left collarbone and a stable fracture of his seventh cervical vertebra. The world champion also suffered a concussion and numerous grazes.
Pogacar needs an operation
According to media reports, Pogacar has already been taken to hospital in Barcelona. “He will need an operation on his collarbone. However, this procedure will be postponed for the time being due to the precautions required following a concussion,” said UAE team doctor Adrian Rotunno.
His season is likely to be over. A broken collarbone is expected to keep him out of action for six weeks. The World Championships road race in Montreal takes place on 27 September. The final highlight of the season is the Tour of Lombardy on 10 October, which the Slovenian has won five times in a row.
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