Tadej Pogacar gave an update on his partner, Slovenian rider Urska Zigart, after she crashed heavily near the finish of stage 2 of the women’s Tour de Suisse. Her team, AG Insurance-Soudal, said Thursday night that she suffered a broken jaw in the fall. Despite the frightening images, the news was more encouraging: Pogacar said she was released from the hospital after spending the night there and that her mood was good.
“She is a fighter, she is strong,” the reigning Tour de France champion said. “That gives me motivation for the next few days. I hope to bring her the yellow jersey and see her again as soon as possible on Monday.” Zigart lost her balance on a small bump in the final kilometer, crashed at high speed just below the flamme rouge, rolled several times on the road, and was also struck in the legs by another rider. The 29-year-old, who finished eighth in the women’s Giro d’Italia earlier this month, was taken to hospital immediately after the accident.
Pogacar then started stage 2 of the men’s race shortly after his partner’s crash. The men’s event is being held for the first time on the same days and over the same start and finish cities as the women’s race. A day earlier, the Slovenian had won after a solo attack of more than 70 kilometers, but in stage 2 he finished in a small chase group as Romain Gregoire took the win.
UAE Emirates XRG sporting director Mauro Gianetti said, “It was not easy for him, he was not focused on the race.” Gianetti added that he managed to calm Pogacar down and said the rider still gave everything, but that his mind was elsewhere because of Zigart’s condition. Zigart is one of Slovenia’s leading riders, with multiple national road and time trial titles. Pogacar, 27, won the Tour de France for the first time in 2020 and has since added three more titles, with his next title defense set to begin on July 4.
