Tadej Pogacar ends season early following neck fracture at Vuelta a Espana

Five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar will not race again this season after suffering injuries including a neck fracture at the Vuelta a Espana.

The injury, which he suffered last month on the race's eighth stage, means the Slovenian will miss out on the chance to defend his title at the upcoming World Championships.

He crashed out of the Vuelta from a dominant position as race leader and required surgery on a broken collarbone, suffered a concussion, a "stable" fracture in his neck and multiple abrasions.

The 27-year-old, who was aiming to complete the set of Grand Tour titles, adding the Vuelta to his single Giro d'Italia victory and Tour de France wins, was due to defend his rainbow jersey at the World Championships in Montreal later this month.

"Of course, this isn't the way I wanted my season to finish," Pogacar said in a statement released by his team, UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

"Right now, the most important thing is to recover properly and give my body the time it needs.

"It has been a season with many special moments and I'm proud of what we achieved together. Now I'll focus on getting healthy, supporting the guys from home, and coming back next year ready for what's ahead."

In October, Pogacar was due to defend his title at the European Championships in Ljubljana, in his home country, and in the Il Lombardia - the final one-day Monument race of the season.

The team said that the decision not to race again until 2027 would allow him to return to full health "without placing a timeline on his return to competition".

UAE Team Emirates-XRG also announced their leading rider had agreed to extend his contract by two years, until 2032.