2023-04-24 19:02:02
Tadej Pogacar, the two-time Tour de France champion, was lucky enough to come out with a fractured left wrist in a fall this weekend, an injury that should not compromise his preparation for the next edition of the French round.
One day following his team reported that he came out of surgery in Belgium well, Pogacar found the positive side of what happened on his social networks. “I was lucky to only break my wrist considering the crazy fall I took,” he said.
The accident occurred on Sunday during the Liega-Bastogne-Liège, the oldest classic in cycling. It might not be caught on television but the director of UAE Team Emirates, Pogacar’s team, said that it occurred at maximum speed.
Mauro Gianetti indicated that Pogacar hit the pavement and that Mikkel Honoré had a double puncture in front of the Slovenian.
“It came on a slight descent, when they were going full speed, and he mightn’t avoid the fall,” Gianetti said.
In his message, Pogacar wished Honoré a good recovery, “whose fall was even harder than mine”.
Pogacar was scheduled to return to his residence in Monaco on Monday, according to his team. He underwent surgery by a hand surgeon in Ghent following the accident. He had a small screw inserted into his left wrist to realign the left scaphoid fragments. The team reported that the Slovenian will need six weeks to recover.
“He will start rehab immediately and do some indoor training,” team medical director Adrian Rotunno said.
Because it is a short recovery period, Pogacar would have an acceptable period to be able to compete in the Tour de France in July.
“We cross our fingers that everything goes well and he recovers very quickly,” Gianetti said.
After his victories in the Amstel Gold and the Fleche Wallonne, Pogacar tried to become only the third man to win the trilogy of Ardennes classics victories, but had to retire following 85 kilometers (53 miles). World champion Remco Evenepoel claimed victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège for the second year in a row following a solo breakaway.
Prior to the accident, Pogacar had been untouchable this year, taking victory in the Tour of Flanders.
His first consecration in the Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday was his seventh victory in 2023, adding to wins in the week-long Paris-Nice and the Vuelta de Andalucía. The streak led to comparisons with the legendary Eddy Merckx.
Pogacar had not planned to compete following Liège-Bastogne-Liège, skipping the Giro d’Italia that begins on May 6. The next big goal for him is the Tour following being dethroned last year by Jonas Vingegaard.
The Tour starts on July 1 in the Spanish city of Bilbao.
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