UAE Emirates-XRG produces a few behind-the-scenes videos during every major race, and they did the same for this Vuelta a España. The team got off to a good start in the race, but on Day 8, everything went wrong when team leader
Tadej Pogačar crashed. Of course, that’s also covered in the video.
In the
behind-the-scenes video, we see how the team reacted after Pogacar's crash. Sports manager Joxean "Matxin" Fernandez accompanies him into the ambulance, after which the camera cuts to the hospital.
You can see the utter dismay on the faces of the staff members present the moment the team doctor arrives and receives information from the Vuelta race doctor. At that point, the Vuelta race doctor also assumed that Pogacar’s shoulder blade was broken, which ultimately turned out not to be the case.
He did suffer an open fracture of the collarbone and a severe concussion, but at the time, the main feeling was one of relief that Pogacar had not sustained any further neurological damage. The team announced on Monday that the Slovenian has since undergone surgery.
Pogačar has since undergone surgery
"He will remain in the hospital for a few more days for follow-up care. As soon as he’s ready, Tadej will travel home to begin his recovery and rehabilitation under the supervision of the team’s medical staff. We will continue to closely monitor his progress throughout the entire recovery process," said Dr. Adrian Rotunno.
Given the complicated collarbone fracture, the World Championships don’t seem like an option, and
Matxin didn’t even want to think about that yet. “I think we need to give him all that respect and trust. On a personal level—right now, it’s not about cycling, but about him as a person. We just want him to have some peace, recover, and be with his family,” said the Spaniard.
Video: Behind the Scenes with UAE Emirates-XRG at the Vuelta a España