Pogačar reportedly pushing his team for an early comeback at European Championships; contacted doctor who operated on him

On Sunday, Pogačar bid farewell to the rainbow jersey, which he handed over with relative joy to his valued teammate Brandon McNulty. He still has a good alternative, though, as Pogačar immediately took to social media to show that he had pulled his European champion’s jersey out of the closet.

Last year, he won the European title in France, one week after the World Championships in Rwanda. That title will be up for grabs again on Sunday, but this time in Slovenia. According to El País, Pogačar is doing everything he can to be at the starting line there again, a little over a month after he was forced to withdraw from the Vuelta with a broken collarbone.

Not long after, UAE Emirates-XRG announced that Pogačar’s season was over, but does he feel the same way? The Slovenian, who is also an ambassador for his home country’s tourism board, reportedly already feels ready to make a comeback and has lost hardly any of his already high (base) level of performance.

UAE Emirates-XRG isn't entirely on board and is trying to entice Pogačar to return to the Tour Down Under, another race he hasn't won yet. Pogačar himself, however, seems intent on starting in the European Championships on Saturday, which could then serve as a test for him ahead of the Tour of Lombardy six days later.

Over the past few days, Pogačar has posted several times on social media showing that he’s back to cycling in full force, possibly to stir things up a bit internally as well. The European Championships were brought to Slovenia to honor the local hero and five-time Tour winner, and Pogacar would be happy to rise to the occasion.

The cyclist reportedly contacted Dr. Xavier Mir, who performed his surgery in Barcelona, on Saturday to request medical clearance. Mir, who is accustomed to the miraculous recovery processes of the athletes he operates on, told him—according to El País—that everything was perfectly fine and that there were no medical obstacles preventing him from competing. So, to be continued, no doubt..