'First day back, last in the rainbow'; Pogačar shows off his scars on his first ride back on the bike

Pogačar rode the Vuelta a España with the goal of completing the trilogy: he had already won the Giro d’Italia once and had been the strongest rider in the Tour de France five times, but since his debut in the Vuelta a España (3rd in 2019, ed.), he had never returned. That changed, and he got off to an excellent start right away, with three stage wins in the first week and a massive lead in the general classification.

But things went wrong on the eighth stage. On a long, wide road, the red jersey wearer momentarily lost his concentration. As he took a sip from his water bottle, he hit a loose rock and went down hard. He lay there in pain. He tried to get back on his bike, but it quickly became clear that things were really bad. It was the end of the road for the world champion.

At the hospital, it became clear that this was the only possible outcome. Pogačar had broken his collarbone and a cervical vertebra, and had suffered a severe concussion. This meant he would need a long recovery. Hopes of somehow still making it to the World Championships quickly faded, so the Slovenian took the rest he needed to recover.

But he’s back on his bike now. A day before his competitors will battle for the vacant world title, Pogačar set out for his first ride since his crash, as he showed on Instagram. He set out with Urska Zigart— who is also recovering and missed the World Championships due to a broken jaw —Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello - Q36.5), Gladys Verhulst-Wild (AG Insurance-Soudal), and her husband Damian Wild, he set out on the road.

The ride wasn't significant enough to post on Strava, but he's sharing the footage on his social media channels. This includes footage of his shoulder, where the effects of the surgery on his collarbone are visible. Dunbar and Verhulst-Wild also had to undergo the same surgery. And you know what they say: you’re not a real cyclist until you’ve broken your collarbone.