Tadej Pogacar was interviewed by The Athletic and made important statements about his crash and his current condition: "When I found out that I had three broken vertebrae, I was simply happy to be alive, or even just to still be on my feet. For the first two weeks after the accident, mentally I wasn't doing well. I was really down, I wasn't a pleasant person to be around. I was simply depressed: I had to have the team doctor help me shower, I couldn't stand without getting dizzy, I was completely out of it, those were really tough moments".

Getting back on the bike proved decisive for his return to normalcy: "When I started getting on the rollers and doing physiotherapy, I began to feel better, mentally too. But it was a daily battle. Some days I wanted to do everything, other days I didn't want to do anything at all".

It was a serious situation and the question naturally arose: how did this reconcile with his desire to race the European Championship?

Tadej explains: "I knew every single meter of that road, I had trained extensively on those climbs. My whole family is from there, and thinking I could race was an important motivation for my recovery. Then an X-ray taken three weeks after the crash dashed those hopes: the fracture hadn't healed properly, I completely understand why the doctors and staff weren't happy about me racing".

The situation continues to improve but the problem isn't completely resolved yet: "If I were to crash again now, it could be very problematic. Everyone says I was lucky. The more you talk to people, the more you discover how serious this type of injury is. To be honest, it's a bit scary to think about it. Fortunately now I don't have any discomfort anymore, I have to be careful not to crash again on the bike and not to do heavy lifting with my left arm, because it could have consequences for my neck too".

From this awareness comes a reflection on safety: "Speeds are much higher than in the past, but the finishes have remained the same: when we ride we have to avoid damaged road surfaces, potholes, speed bumps and roundabouts. To the UCI I say there are many things to be done, certainly not measuring socks and handlebar width".