Pogačar to ride the Vuelta a España in pursuit of a Grand Tour clean sweep
The Tour de France champion will start in Monaco on 22 August, chasing the one Grand Tour he has never won.
Tadej Pogačar has confirmed he will line up for the Vuelta a España when it begins in Monaco on 22 August, three weeks after sealing a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title.
The Slovenian has won the Tour and the Giro d'Italia but never the Vuelta, and victory in Spain would give him all three Grand Tours — matching the clean sweep completed by his long-time rival Jonas Vingegaard.
Spain is where his Grand Tour career started. He rode the 2019 Vuelta as a debutant and finished third behind his compatriot Primož Roglič, collecting three stage wins and the young rider classification on the way. "The time is right to go back," he said in confirming his ride.
The decision had been genuinely open. He hinted midway through his Tour defence that he would probably start, after Prince Albert of Monaco said publicly that he expected him to be there — but immediately after winning in Paris he said he did not feel fresh enough, and wanted a fortnight before committing.
The 2026 route gives him room to work: eight mountain stages and more than 40km of individual time trialling. It opens with a time trial in Monaco, crosses to Andorra, follows the Mediterranean coast, then runs through Córdoba, Málaga and Seville before finishing in Granada on 13 September.
