Van Aert and Pedersen highlight the mental aspect of Tadej Pogačar's Vuelta a España withdrawal

Before the start of Stage 9 of the Vuelta a España, Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen reflected once again on Tadej Pogačar’s crash and withdrawal. The Slovenian rider from UAE Emirates-XRG suffered multiple fractures, but according to Van Aert and Pedersen, that isn’t the most important thing at this stage.

Pogacar has rarely crashed during his career, but Saturday’s crash had a major impact. He broke his collarbone and a cervical vertebra and suffered a concussion. The world champion appears to be in good spirits, as evidenced by a photo taken at the hospital.

However, Van Aert, speaking from personal experience, highlighted the mental aspect of a crash on Sunday morning. He described the first few hours and days after a crash as “often very painful” and wished Pogacar a speedy recovery and, above all, a quick surgery on his collarbone.

That procedure has been postponed so far due to the superstar's concussion. “Only after a surgery like that can you start looking ahead a little bit,” Van Aert told the Belgian media. After the many crashes he’s experienced in his career, the Belgian knows: “This takes time; coming to terms with it mentally is the hardest part.”

Pedersen also stopped by to see the Belgians in the mixed zone, since he broke his wrist in Valencia earlier this year and consequently had to undergo a long rehabilitation process leading up to the spring classics. Pedersen doesn’t think it’s appropriate to ask whether Pogacar will be ready for the World Championships in September.

"He's broken more than just his collarbone, hasn't he? This could mean the end of his season, and we need to respect that. Pogacar deserves time to recover, and we need to view his injuries in that light. That broken collarbone is actually the least of his worries."

After a race against the clock, Pedersen ultimately made it to the spring classics, but it remains to be seen whether Pogacar can recover from all his injuries in a month. “His injuries are more complex than the ones I had earlier this year. Above all, he mustn’t take any risks for the rest of his career.”