Updated September 16, 2026 08:17AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The devastating crash that wiped Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> out of the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a won\u2019t change his and his team\u2019s outlook on Paris-Roubaix.<\/p>\n That\u2019s according to Mauro Gianetti, team principal at UAE Emirates-XRG.<\/p>\n Speaking to RAI<\/em> on the show Radio Corsa<\/em><\/a>, Gianetti said the cobblestone \u201cHell\u201d \u2013 a race that\u2019s stubbornly eluded Poga\u010dar\u2019s grasp \u2013 will remain a goal for the GOAT.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still have the same confidence in Tadej,\u201d Gianetti said last week. \u201cRoubaix may seem more risky than other races, but when you look at it, the worst crashes with the most serious consequences lately don\u2019t happen there.<\/p>\n \u201cThey happen in races and situations like the one where Tadej crashed [at the Vuelta]. Situations where the speed is extremely high, and the whole peloton is packed very closely together,\u201d Gianetti said.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s crash two-and-a-half weeks ago in Spain ended his season in brutal and blunt fashion<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old broke his collarbone, a verterbra, and he suffered a concussion.<\/p>\n Gianetti suggested that the freak crash \u2013 Poga\u010dar struck what appears to be a loose rock on the road \u2013 won\u2019t influence his calendar decisions going forward.<\/p>\n After being thwarted by Mathieu van der Poel in 2025 and Wout van Aert in 2026, Pogi won\u2019t give up on Roubaix until he\u2019s taken the cobblestone trophy back to Monaco.<\/p>\n \u201cHigh-speed crashes are more devastating than what might happen at Roubaix. If you crash on the pav\u00e9<\/em>, you may be traveling at a lower speed,\u201d Gianetti said. \u201cRoubaix is a difficult race, but we\u2019ve seen that it\u2019s not the only place where you can fall.\u201d<\/p>\n Gianetti continued that how a rider approaches a race influences their exposure to risk.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a consideration that UAE might carry into the boardroom when they start sketching out Poga\u010dar\u2019s plan for 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll have to think about the calendar, but we can\u2019t think about avoiding falls,\u201d Gianetti said.<\/p>\n \u201cRather, we must try to get to the race fresh, so that the riders have maximum concentration. That is the most important thing\u201d<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s crash at La Vuelta<\/em> felt like a glitch in the cycling universe.<\/p>\n A rider who seems so impervious to injury was left with damage severe enough to strike him out of title defenses at the road world championships, the European championships, and Il Lombardia.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not to say Poga\u010dar doesn\u2019t crash \u2013 he broke his wrist in Li\u00e8ge in 2023, and he\u2019s wiped out in high-stakes situations at Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, the Tour de France, and in 2024, at Roubaix.<\/p>\n This one was different, Gianetti said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a serious crash. The displaced collarbone fracture required a very complex operation, in addition to the concussion,\u201d he explained. \u201cFrom there, it was clear that he would not be able to race again this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar received successful surgery just two days after his fall.<\/p>\n His collarbone was pinned, and he was back home on the couch within 48 hours.<\/p>\n Gianetti told RAI<\/em> that Poga\u010dar could have come off a lot worse given the severity of his 60kph crash.<\/p>\n As he showed in typical Pogi fashion in a reel posted this week, he\u2019s already back on the trainer and feeling chipper<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst time back, collarbone strong, head strong, heart rate high, super happy. Let\u2019s go!\u201d Poga\u010dar grinned in his Instagram post.<\/p>\n Gianetti told RAI<\/em> that Poga\u010dar and his entourage are confident that the crash and subsequent surgery shouldn\u2019t have any longer-term impact. He should be able to run through his off-season preparations more or less unimpacted by any hangover of the injury.<\/p>\n The question now is \u2013 what happens in 2027?<\/p>\n Crashing out of the Vuelta made things complicated<\/a> for Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n Only the Spanish tour and Paris-Roubaix remain unchecked in Poga\u010dar\u2019s quest to tick off every major race the calendar.<\/p>\n The Vuelta had looked to be a one-and-done in Poga\u010dar\u2019s first return to the race since his prodigious 2019 breakout this summer. He had a four-minute lead after only seven stages. He held his rivals on puppet strings.<\/p>\n And now he\u2019s got to go back.<\/p>\n Likewise, Poga\u010dar had looked poised to put an end to his Paris-Roubaix mission this spring. He pressured Van Aert all through the final but was schooled by the Belgian in the velorome sprint.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar is too stubborn to give up on Roubaix and La Vuelta \u2013 crashes or not. Those two, and the Olympic Games, are the last pieces left to secure a beyond-the-sport legacy.<\/p>\n Expect him to return to both as soon as next year.<\/p>\n\u2018Roubaix is a difficult race, but it\u2019s not the only place where you can fall\u2019<\/h2>\n
Poga\u010dar on the comeback<\/h2>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Tadej-Pogacar-trainer-1200x800.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\"\/)
Roubaix and the Vuelta remain unclaimed<\/h2>\n
![\"Poga\u010dar](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Vuelta-Espana-2026-Stage-1-5858-1200x727.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\"\/)