Slovenian Star Tadej Pogačar on Track for Mid-May Altitude Camp Despite Injury Setback
Key Highlights :
After a crash and injury at Liège-Bastogne-Liége, Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogačar is still on track to join his team at an altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, Spain, in mid-May. This is according to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, which cites team sports manager Joxean Fernandez Matxín as saying that “if all goes well, he will join the team at altitude training.”
The scaphoid fracture Pogačar suffered in the crash required surgery to realign the bone fragments with a small screw. According to UAE Team Emirates medical director Dr. Adrian Rotunno, the recovery period is approximately six weeks. This means that Pogačar is taking three weeks of rest before starting rehab and some training on an indoor trainer.
The six-week program of recovery is part of Pogačar’s build-up for the 2023 Tour de France, which he will attempt to win for a third time in four years. The only stage race on his program prior to July is the low-key Tour of Slovenia, where he is the defending champion.
Matxín maintained the team’s optimistic line about Pogačar’s chances of making it to the Tour start in Bilbao on July 1. “There is plenty of time for that, we think,” he said.
Pogačar has previously done altitude training in Sierra Nevada and is expected to join his team there in mid-May. If all goes well, he could then head to the Tour of Slovenia from June 14-18.
The 2023 Spring Classics have been a highly successful period for Pogačar, with a win at Strade Bianche and podium finishes at both the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liége. Despite the injury setback, it appears he is still on track to make a strong showing at the Tour de France in July.
