Tadej Pogačar underwent successful surgery to treat a scaphoid fracture in his left wrist at a hospital in Genk on Sunday. UAE Team Emirates confirmed that the Slovenian will travel home to continue his recovery on Monday.
"The surgery on Tadej Pogačar's scaphoid was successful, and he will travel home tomorrow for recovery and rehabilitation," Dr. Adrian Rotunno, Medical Director, UAE Team Emirates, confirmed.
Pogačar was transported to a hospital to undergo immediate surgery to correct a fractured wrist sustained in a crash during Liège-Bastogne-Liège. His team confirmed in a medical update that he had sustained two fractures to his left scaphoid and lunate bones.
However, only the scaphoid fracture required surgery, which was performed by a specialist hand surgeon in Genk.
UAE Team Emirates has not confirmed Pogačar's recovery time or when he might be in a position to return to training or competition.
He was the overwhelming favourite to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège and was aiming to complete the Ardennes Classics triple after winning Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne earlier in the week.
However, he abandoned Liège-Bastogne-Liège after he was caught up in a crash with Mikkel Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost) on a descent at roughly 85km into the 258km race.
He was forced to climb into the team's support vehicle before being taken to the hospital for medical assessment and treatment.
UAE Team Emirates later confirmed Pogačar's injuries and treatment in a series of medical updates following the event.
Team manager Mauro Gianetti remained cautious about Pogačar's recovery, however, and how his injuries might affect his season from here on, saying it is too early to make any predictions. Pogačar’s next goal after a period of rest is to try and win the Tour de France in July, with Gianetti hoping his rider will make a quick recovery.
“It’s too soon to say. Probably we’ll have more information after the surgery, and we’ll see how it goes. As it’s multiple bones to fix, it’s a more complicated operation. So we’re crossing our fingers it will all be ok, and he’ll be able to recover very fast.”
