Urška Žigart Suffers Jaw Fracture in Tour de Suisse Crash, Reigniting Road Furniture Safety Debate

Several other riders were also brought down as they attempted to steer clear of Žigart, who remained motionless on the roadway . She was immediately attended to by the race medical team and team doctor before being transferred to hospital .

Injuries Sustained

Žigart suffered a fractured jaw (mandibular fracture), confirmed by her team AG Insurance-Soudal . Scans showed no other injuries beyond the jaw fracture . Reports also indicated she sustained facial abrasions and had some teeth knocked out, and was evaluated for a possible concussion . She was reported to be in stable condition .

"Following her crash in the final kilometre of Stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse Women, Urška Žigart was immediately attended to by the race medical team and team doctor before being transferred to hospital for further examinations," her team confirmed in a medical update .

Tadej Pogačar's Reaction During His Own Race

Pogačar learned about the crash "just before the start" of the men's stage in Locarno, according to UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager Mauro Gianetti . He was described as "shaken" . "I went to see Urska before the start, so I reassured him that, fortunately, it's nothing serious, even though it was a big crash, because it was at high speed of more than 50 kph," Gianetti said .

Pogačar decided to race after speaking with Žigart and learning she was conscious . During the stage, he appeared unusually tense and visibly distressed — "Tadej Pogačar as never seen before," per Italian media . He narrowly missed the stage win, finishing second in a chaotic finale .

After the podium ceremony, he skipped all media interviews, immediately jumped into a car, and drove to the hospital to be at Žigart's side . He also briefly lashed out at a cameraman who was filming him during the tense moments, as reported by multiple outlets .

Safety Concerns Reignited About Road Furniture

The crash was directly caused by a speed bump placed in the final kilometer of a high-speed finishing circuit — a piece of "road furniture" that critics say should not be on a professional race course without adequate warning or removal . Multiple outlets covering the incident explicitly questioned why such an obstacle was present in the finale .

The UCI has identified road furniture (speed bumps, curb extensions, traffic-calming devices) as one of the most common causes of crashes in pro racing. In a recent safety review, the UCI's Safety Committee identified and analysed 297 incidents at events on the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women's WorldTour, cataloguing 203 root causes . The most common contributing factor was rider error (29%), but infrastructure-related causes featured prominently .

This incident adds to a growing pattern of serious crashes linked to unmarked or poorly placed infrastructure. It follows the 2023 death of Gino Mäder — also at the Tour de Suisse — and the 2024 death of Muriel Furrer at the World Championships . The creation of SafeR (SafeRoadcycling), an independent entity launched in 2025 by the UCI and key stakeholders, was a direct response to this trend, but riders and teams continue to call for more immediate action .

Riders and teams have increasingly called for mandatory course recons, the removal of hazardous road furniture on finishing circuits, and stricter UCI course certification protocols, especially for women's races which often race on the same circuits with less course modification . The UCI's own regulations introduced in 2021 require each event organiser to have an Event Safety Manager, but the continued presence of unmarked speed bumps in final kilometres suggests enforcement remains inconsistent .