UAE Team Emirates is cautious about how Tadej Pogachar's crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the resulting broken wrist will affect their rider's upcoming season.

Pogachar was involved in the crash along with Mikel Honoré (EF Education-Easy Post) on the downhill in the first half of Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Liège was to be Pogachar's first and last race of 2023.

Pogachar, the Slovenian champion, had won 12 races prior to the crash, including victories at Paris-Nice, Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold, and La Flèche Wallonne. His battle with Remco Evenpole (Sourdal-Quick Step) in Liège-Bastogne-Liège was hotly anticipated by fans. After winning Liège, Evenpoel heads to the Giro d'Italia, while Pogachar's next goal after a rest period is to win the Tour de France in July.

"It's not really good news. I have multiple fractures in my left wrist." UAE team manager Mauro Gianetti, himself a winner of the 1995 Liège-Bastogne-Liège race, noted at the finish. He is now scheduled to undergo surgery by a hand specialist at a Genk hospital."

Gianetti said he had not spoken directly to Pogachar." He was there with the doctor and we will put him in the hospital and probably talk to him after the surgery."

The Swiss team manager said that Honoré had unfortunately suffered a double puncture and "a tire exploded, which caused the crash and he [Pogachar] was involved."

"Unfortunately in cycling those things happen.

As for his plans for the season and how it will affect him, Gianetti said, "I can't say yet. Perhaps we will have more information after the surgery and we will see what happens. It will be a more complicated surgery, as multiple bones will be fixed. So we are praying that everything will go well and he will recover very quickly."

Despite losing Pogachar before the race was in full swing in Liège, UAE Team Emirates managed to finish 10th with Marc Hirsch.