Are Stars Aligning for a Tour Down Under Return for Tadej Pogačar?

Could Tadej Pogačar’s premature season end translate into a boost for the Santos Tour Down Under?

That’s something race organisers will be mulling over after the UAE Emirates XRG rider crashed out of the Vuelta a España and was forced to abandon plans to compete for several more weeks.

Pogačar looked set for a runaway race victory in the Vuelta right until he hit a roadside object and clattered to the ground on stage 8. He suffered a concussion, plus fractures to his collarbone and the C7 bone in his neck.

He and his team hoped that he might be able to return after several weeks but they were forced to admit this week that the defence of his world championship, his European championship and Il Lombardia titles would not be happening.

Instead he’s headed home from hospital, and will spend the weeks ahead trying to recover fully and to gradually resume training.

It’s a disappointing end to another dominant year for the Slovenian Slayer. He’s never won the Vuelta, having finished third overall in his first and only attempt seven years ago, and will have to wait at least one more year to do so.

His premature end sees him finish the season far earlier than he ever has.

Back in 2019 he finished up on September 29th. Since then he has always competed well into October, winning Il Lombardia the past five years in a row.

This time around, his last race was on August 29.

So what does that mean?

Plenty of time twiddling his thumbs, for one. Pogačar famously loves the bike, enjoying training and racing. But needing to fully heal will force him to back off, inevitably losing condition as a result.

Making up for lost time will become a focus in the months ahead and, given that early season finish, Tour Down Under organisers will hope that Pogačar and his team see the logic in not leaving it too long before he pins on a number again.

If so, they’d welcome him with open arms. He’d be a massive boost for the race, which always likes to have headline names take part.

‘He loves Australia, he loves the fans’

The UAE Emirates-XRG rider has made the trip before to Australia. He lined out in the race back in 2019, competing in the Tour Down Under as a neo pro. Starting his new career on January 15, he rode solidly, taking eighth on stage three and finishing 13th overall in the general classification.

That set him up well for the rest of the season, with a stage plus GC victory swiftly following in the Volta ao Algarve.

He’s missed the race since then, targeting instead either a European debut or a season start in the UAE Tour.

But he hasn’t forgotten about his time in the southern hemisphere.

Speaking to CyclingProNet in May, he name checked the race when asked about what events he still wanted to win.

“I don’t have Itzulia, I don’t have a lot of races, actually,” he said.

“The Tour Down Under, the Tour of Poland, the Eneco Tour, how do you call it… the Tim Wellens race,” he said, smiling, speaking about the event won four times by Wellens and now known as the Renewi Tour.

“And then one day races also. There are still a lot of big races left.

“Let’s go one by one and see how far we can come.”

His agent Alex Carera also floated the possibility that he will return to the Santos Tour Down Under.

“One day, he will come – he loves Australia, he loves the fans and every year, (the race) grows,” Carera told AAP.

“I don’t know when, but I am sure that one day he will come.

“Today, his goal is to win every WorldTour race.”

Roubaix may play a part in decision

It’s still far too soon to expect Pogačar to lay out his 2027 plans. He and his team tend to announce his schedule around December, although some goals will have been privately decided before then. The Tour de France will be a certainty, and so too the Ardennes Classics.

Paris-Roubaix is also a huge target, with Pogačar frustrated after finishing second in 2024 and 2025.

He’s on a mission to win that race and, in some ways, contesting the Tour Down Under could make victory on the cobbles more likely.

Racing earlier in the year would give him several extra weeks of competitive fitness, something that chief rival Mathieu van der Poel always enjoys as a result of his cyclocross ambitions.

That has arguably put Pogačar at a disadvantage when lining out against him; next time around, the Slovenian has a chance to change that.

The weeks ahead may well see behind the scenes talks taking place. Tour Down Under organisers would love to have the biggest name in the sport on the start line, knowing what a boost it would be to the event.

There may not be the need for a hefty appearance fee either: Tour de Romandie organizer Richard Chassot told Wielerflits earlier this year that no fee was demanded nor paid for Pogačar to compete in that race.

Wanted to win the event was motivation enough, particularly as it fits in with his goal of taking as many of the sport’s WorldTour races as possible.

Will 2027 be the year that he once again flies across the equator to begin his season?

If his recovery goes as expected, his early end to 2026 could line up perfectly with a prompt start to 2027.