Jaw Fracture Ends Zigart's Season Early

The gravel path lies quiet, but for Urška Žigart, the road has become a place of sudden, violent stillness. On stage 3 of the Faun Tour Femmes in Tournon-sur-Rhône, the Slovenian rider crashed out of third overall, a tumble that sent shockwaves through her team and confirmed a worst-case fear. Medical examinations conducted immediately after the incident revealed a new fracture of the jaw, a re-break of the injury she sustained months earlier.

It is a brutal repetition of an earlier trauma. Žigart originally fractured her jaw in a horrific crash on stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse in June. Her recovery was remarkable; she avoided surgery, citing that all parts of the fracture aligned perfectly, and pushed through to race the Tour de France Femmes just six weeks later. Now, the bone that held her together in the summer has failed again under the strain of competition.

Team confirms season likely over

AG Insurance-Soudal released a statement on Saturday evening, detailing the gravity of the situation. The team confirmed that given the nature of the injury and the fact that it is a repeated fracture, Žigart’s 2026 season is likely to come to an early end. This premature conclusion also means she will miss the upcoming World Championships, a significant loss for both the rider and her squad.

The focus now shifts entirely to healing. The team stated they will closely monitor the recovery process before making a definitive decision on the remainder of her season. While a return in 2027 seems more probable, the medical team remains the final arbiter of her timeline. For now, the racing bike sits idle, a silent witness to the abrupt end of a challenging year.

A rapid comeback from June

Žigart’s resilience was on full display earlier this year. Finishing sixth at the Vuelta España Femenina in May, she demonstrated her competitive edge before the June setback. Her decision to forego surgery allowed for a faster rehabilitation, enabling her to rejoin the peloton for the Tour de France Femmes in early August. There, she assisted teammate Kim Le Court-Pienaar to a ninth-place finish and a stage win, proving her mental and physical fortitude.

Slovenian rider faces recovery period

The news, reported by GN sports/cycling (en-US), marks a difficult chapter for a rider who has fought hard to stay on the bike. The team expressed their wish for a smooth recovery, looking forward to seeing her back with the group in the future. Until then, the priority is rest and rehabilitation, allowing the bone to heal without the constant pressure of professional racing.