Full Breakdown
Pogacar Targets Grand Tour Triple at the 2026 Vuelta a España
8/3/2026, 8:27:28 PM
The Return to La Vuelta
Tadej Pogacar, five-time Tour de France champion, is confirmed for the 2026 Vuelta a España. The three-week race opens with an individual time trial in Monaco on August 22 and finishes in Granada on September 13 after 21 stages covering roughly 3,300 km, with seven summit finishes and two time trials.
Background & Context
Pogacar first rode the Vuelta in 2019, finishing third, winning three stages and the best-young-rider jersey. He has since matched the record of five Tour victories and claimed the 2024 Giro d’Italia by nearly ten minutes. A win in Spain would give him the only Grand Tour title missing from his palmarès, joining the elite group of riders who have won all three tours.
Timeline
- July 26 2026 – Pogacar wins his fifth Tour de France.
- August 22 2026 – Vuelta a España starts in Monaco.
- September 13 2026 – Vuelta finishes in Granada.
- September 27 2026 – Pogacar defends his Road World Championship title in Montreal.
Data & Statistics
- Distance: ~3,300 km
- Summit finishes: 7
- Individual time trials: 2 (over 40 km total)
- Mountain stages: 8, including Alto de Aitana, La Pandera and the queen stage to Collado del Alguacil.
- Team roster: UAE Team Emirates-XRG will field eight riders—João Almeida, Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Pablo Torres, Kevin Vermaerke, Domen Novak and Ivo Oliveira—supporting Pogacar.
Why It Matters
Securing the Vuelta would complete Pogacar’s Grand Tour triple, a feat achieved by only eight riders before him. It would also make him the fourth rider to win the Tour de France and Vuelta a España in the same season, joining Anquetil, Hinault and Froome, and would shape team tactics for the coming years.
Official Statements & Responses
UAE Team Emirates-XRG described the squad as “balanced and experienced,” noting that the team’s depth gives Pogacar support across all terrain. Prince Albert of Monaco, who will host the Vuelta’s Gran Salida, hinted that Pogacar’s participation was likely—a sentiment Pogacar later echoed.
Verbatim Quote
- “I’m excited to say I’m going back to La Vuelta. It was my first ever Grand Tour back in 2019 and an amazing experience. Spain is a country I love to visit and race in and I think the time is right to go back,” — Tadej Pogacar
What’s Next
After the Vuelta, Pogacar will have roughly two weeks to recover before heading to Montreal for the World Road Race Championships on September 27. His schedule underscores his ambition to finish the season with multiple major titles.
