Tadej Pogacar targets Grand Tour triple as 81st Vuelta a Espana begins in Monaco

The 81st edition of the Vuelta a Espana begins on 22 August 2026, with Tadej Pogacar attempting to complete the Grand Tour triple. Pogacar last competed in the Spanish race in 2019 at age 19, where he won three stages and placed third overall. Since then, the 27-year-old Slovenian has secured five Tour de France titles and one Giro d'Italia victory in 2024. A victory in Granada on 13 September would make him the ninth rider to win all three Grand Tours, joining Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome, and Jonas Vingegaard. Winning the Vuelta would also make Pogacar the fourth cyclist to win both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana in the same calendar year, after Anquetil in 1963, Hinault in 1978, and Froome in 2017.

Pogacar outlined his ambition ahead of the opening stage in Monaco.

Winning the three grand tours has been a great goal and a dream of mine for several years.

Mountainous route across four nations

The 2026 route spans 3,275 kilometres across 21 stages with two rest days, passing through Monaco, France, Andorra, and Spain. Racing opens with an individual time trial of just over nine kilometres on the Formula 1 street circuit in Monaco. The peloton faces four medium-mountain stages and six high-mountain stages, totalling 58,156 metres of cumulative vertical elevation. Stage three moves between Gruissan and Font-Romeu in France, followed immediately by high-mountain terrain into Andorra on stage four. The peloton then travels south along the Mediterranean coast toward Andalusia, tackling summits such as the Alto de Aitana and the Collado del Alguacil before the general classification concludes in Granada.

Contenders and general classification rivals

The peloton comprises 184 riders across 23 squads, including wildcard entries Equipo Kern Pharma and Burgos BH. Pogacar enters backed by UAE Team Emirates with Joao Almeida serving as mountain lieutenant. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), a four-time Vuelta winner from 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024, seeks a fifth victory to surpass Roberto Heras, despite recovering from injuries suffered when struck by a vehicle during training that sidelined him from the Clasica San Sebastian and Vuelta a Burgos. Reigning Vuelta champion Jonas Vingegaard is absent due to injury. Other contenders for the general classification podium include Felix Gall, Enric Mas, Richard Carapaz, Oscar Onley, and Mads Pedersen, while Wout Van Aert targets breakaway opportunities.

Race director Javier Guillen described the task facing the Tour de France winner.

The challenge for him to win all three Grand Tours after having won the Tour with the physical and mental fatigue that entails is a true challenge. We love having him with us.

Race strategy and season targets

Pogacar approaches the three-week event with measured pacing, noting that post-Tour fatigue and upcoming late-season targets will shape his tactics. Speaking during the official team presentation in front of the Casino de Monaco, he noted the difficulty of the Spanish terrain.

The Vuelta is super difficult. There are many rivals, it is three weeks with heat, very steep climbs. It will be very hard.

Pogacar stated that he will assess his physical condition in the opening stages before committing fully to a general classification fight. His remaining late-season schedule includes the Road World Championships, the European Championships, and Il Lombardia. The race is also the farewell Grand Tour for Spanish rider Pello Bilbao and the final outing for Mikel Landa before joining Euskaltel-Euskadi.