Pogacar confirms Vuelta a España return seven years after debut, chasing the only Grand Tour missing from his palmarès

The announcement

Tadej Pogacar will race the Vuelta a España for the first time since his Grand Tour debut in 2019, UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed on Monday. The 27-year-old Slovenian, fresh from winning his fifth Tour de France in July, will lead an eight-rider squad on a route that begins with an individual time trial in Monaco on 22 August and finishes in Granada on 13 September.

I'm excited to announce that I'm returning to La Vuelta. It was my first Grand Tour in 2019 and an incredible experience. Spain is a country I love to visit and compete in, and I think now is the right time to come back.

The team announcement ends a week of speculation that began during the Tour de France celebrations in Paris, where Pogacar reportedly told organisers and teammates he would see them in Spain. In 2025 he had planned to ride the Vuelta but withdrew during the Tour's second rest day, citing mental fatigue. This year, according to El Periódico, he finished the Tour visibly fresher and more committed to the double.

What is at stake

The Vuelta is the only Grand Tour Pogacar has not won. He has five Tour de France titles (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026) and won the Giro d'Italia on his first attempt in 2024. Victory in Spain would make him the ninth male rider in history to win all three Grand Tours. The milestone carries extra weight because his rival Jonas Vingegaard completed the same triple by winning the Giro in May. Vingegaard, the 2026 champion, is not defending his Vuelta title this year.

The motivation is high to finish the year in the best way and La Vuelta will be a big objective. The team is strong and we expect to achieve good results.

Beyond the Vuelta, Pogacar's immediate targets include Paris-Roubaix (the only Monument he has not won, after two second-place finishes) and defending his world champion's rainbow jersey in Canada in September. The New York Times notes he is also expected to target the 2028 Olympic road race.

The team

Pogacar will be supported by João Almeida, the 2025 Vuelta runner-up; Australian climber Jay Vine, who won two stages and the mountains classification in 2025; Pavel Sivakov, ninth in the 2024 Vuelta; and 20-year-old Spaniard Pablo Torres, who will make his Grand Tour debut after finishing third in the Spanish time trial championship this year. Kevin Vermaerke, Domen Novak and Ivo Oliveira complete the lineup.

The route

The 81st edition covers nearly 3,300 kilometres with seven summit finishes and two individual time trials. After the opening time trial in Monaco, the race crosses France and Andorra before entering Spain. Key climbs include Font Romeu, Aramón Valdelinares, Alto de Aitana, Calar Alto, La Pandera and Collado del Alguacil. The first week hugs Spain's east coast before the race settles into the south, where temperatures are expected to soar.

This is the best year for Tadej to come. The stages are very conducive for him to deliver the spectacle he has us accustomed to.

Javier Guillén, the Vuelta director, told Onda Cero on Sunday night he was optimistic about Pogacar's participation, calling a potential victory "a great springboard" for the world championships. The route's mountain-heavy profile and the opening time trial on Monaco's Formula One circuit appear tailored to the Slovenian's strengths.

The 2019 precedent

Pogacar's only previous Vuelta appearance came in 2019, his first year as a professional. Then 20, he finished third overall behind Primož Roglič and Alejandro Valverde, won three stages and took the young rider classification. That performance announced him as a generational talent; a year later he won his first Tour de France. Seven years on, he returns as a five-time Tour champion with 16 Grand Tour stage wins and a palmarès that El País compares to Eddy Merckx at the same age.