'Super happy... let's go!' – Tadej Pogačar back training indoors after Vuelta a España crash

Tadej Pogačar, the five-time Tour de France champion, has resumed his training for the first time since the crash that forced him to withdraw from the Vuelta a España last month. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider shared a series of pictures and videos on Instagram showcasing his indoor training sessions, as well as his time out with girlfriend Urška Žigart, whose season also came to an abrupt end after a crash at the Faun Tour Femmes.

In his Instagram post, Pogačar expressed his joy and gratitude, writing, "Collarbone strong, head strong… super happy. Let's go!" He credited his teams, families, friends, and supporters for their encouragement. Pogačar's return to the saddle was timed with a new series called Train with Tadej, organized by his sponsor MyWhoosh.

In a statement, he shared his feelings about being back on the bike, stating, "It's just nice to be back on the bike. I'm taking it step by step at the moment and slowly building things back up towards next season. I've used MyWhoosh a lot over the years, especially for structured sessions indoors, so it's good to be back riding on it now."

The crash on stage eight of the Vuelta, where he led the race by over four minutes, marked the first time in his career that he had to retire from a Grand Tour. Enric Mas of Movistar inherited the lead and went on to win the race, which Pogačar had previously finished second in three times. Žigart's crash at the Faun Tour resulted in a re-fractured jaw, an injury she had previously sustained in a crash during the Tour de Suisse in June. Her team announced that she would not be racing for the rest of the year.