“Engine is Already Starting” – Two-Time Tour de France Champion Tadej Pogacar Sets Sights High for 2024 Season After Recovering From Wrist Fracture

What makes the life of an athlete praiseworthy is the challenges they overcome. More often than not, it is down to their physical difficulties, like injuries. Tadej Pogačar just bagged his fourth Slovenian Cyclist of the Year award for a rollicking performance in the 2023 cycling season, that came on the back of a triumphant return from a major wrist injury.

The Slovenian champion suffered a fractured wrist after getting into a crash during the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in Belgium, in April 2023. But that did not stop him!

The sky is the limit for Tadej Pogačar in 2024

The cyclist underwent surgery to treat a scaphoid fracture and was ruled out of contention for close to six weeks. But as they say, you cannot keep champions quiet for too long. Tadej Pogačar made a triumphant return to action and pulled off an impossible victory in Stage 6 of the Tour de France. And that was just the beginning of it as he went on to secure a string of victories in the 2023 season and scripted a comeback for the ages.

His stellar performance post the freak injury meant that he usurped Giro d’Italia winner Primož Roglič and Gravel World Champion Matej Mohorič to win the Slovenian Cyclist of the Year, handed out on Tuesday in Ljubljana.

With the 2023 season done and dusted, he now has his eyes set on the 2024 but is not looking too far ahead. All he wants to do is compete and race, but he has not revealed his roster yet. His focus now is on training, rehabilitation and the off season activities lined up.

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Looking at the road ahead

The only race that he will participate in definitely is the 2024 Tour de France, with no indications about any other race yet.

“We’re not in full swing yet, but the engine is already starting,” Pogačar said of his return to training.

“[I hope] to try to improve even though I know it will be difficult,” he said, when asked what will motivate him in 2024. “I will try to stay at the level I have been and look for some new challenges. Next year is the World Championships. The route [in Zürich – Ed.] is very beautiful, so there will be enough challenges. This drives me forward – the Giro, Tour, Vuelta, Monuments, everything.”

Finishing second in arguably the toughest cycling race on the planet after sitting out due to injury is no less than a fairytale. From being on the sidelines to racing at the top level and finishing the season in second place, Tadej Pogačar wrote his beautiful script.

The cycling champion is now ready to do the hard yards in training and come out stronger, better prepared for the next season, where only standing at the top will satisfy his hunger to excel.

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