Watch all , with the Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes and much more.
Pogacar is aiming to win his third Tour next month but may do so in a cast after admitting he “disobeyed the doctor’s orders” during his recovery from a in April.
“First of all, I shouldn’t go on the road before six weeks, so I’m a bit stupid and I disobeyed the doctor’s orders,” Pogacar said.
“I pushed the team and tried to go on the bike, but I knew that I couldn’t put too much pressure on the scaphoid.
“Obviously, I’m riding with a plastic cast that I can take off and on. Now I have a few different casts – one for normal life, one for the bike, and then one for when I’m almost at the end for a bit of support. I’m taking care every day.
“The wrist is getting better every day and I’m getting more and more mobility. When we see the scan, we’ll see if we can start to put more pressure on the hand and I think for the Tour maybe I’ll still need some soft brace around the wrist, just for a bit of support.
“I hope that I get the mobility to get out of the saddle and for sprinting before the Tour.”
The 24-year-old’s ongoing rehabilitation – amid a training camp at altitude in Sierra Nevada – means he’ll head to France with only two days of racing in his legs this month, both coming at the Slovenian National Championships.
It’s not the amount of competitive action the UAE Team Emirates star is used to before a Grand Tour, but it’s one that could work in his favour with his wrist “not at 100 per cent” ahead of a much-anticipated rematch with Vingegaard.
“Normally I really like to have a race before the important race,” he said during a press conference in Sierra Nevada.
“But a Grand Tour is 21 stages and sometimes it’s good to be a little fresher. I’ll do the National Championship, so two days of racing.
“You can always do some good training behind the motorbike and stuff like this to simulate races, so I’m not so worried this year.
“I have great support from the team, and I can do big hours on the bike, have massages and physiotherapy here.”
Some recon of a few stages will then follow on June 11, with Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma the man to beat after the Dane claimed the maillot jaune with an impressive portfolio of performances last year.
Pogacar’s apparent disadvantage isn’t getting in the way of his expectations, however, with his legs bound to be in perfect condition for what is a difficult Grand Depart on July 1.
“Maybe the wrist will not be at 100 per cent but I think the legs can because you don’t need a wrist to train the legs,” he said.
“We will see that when the Tour goes, but I think I will enjoy it in any case.”
“The first two stages are really beautiful and super hard,” he added. “I think I prefer this to having flat stages in the first week because you already see who is there, who is what, who has the jersey.
“It’s not so stressful in the next days. It’s going to be tough to come there fresh and immediately go full gas in the first two days but two years ago, it was more or less similar.
“But I felt good back then, so I really like this start to the Tour.”
