CyclingUpToDate Podcast: "He can sleep in his own bed before the time trial begins" - Tadej Pogacar's La Vuelta participation seen as a no-brainer
CyclingMonday, 03 August 2026 at 21:30
Tadej Pogacar's participation at the 2026 Vuelta a España has been confirmed today, meaning the World Champion returns to the Spanish Grand Tour after seven years. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have discussed the Slovenian's decision as well as the Tour de France Femmes' first days and controversies.
Tadej Pogacar confirmed for La Vuelta
Pogacar had long teased a potential return to the Vuelta. The decision was made last week in a meeting with UAE Team Emirates - XRG, and communicated to the public this Monday.
"We spoke about this maybe at the end of our Tour kind of recap, where I think you said that you were pretty much confirmed that he was going to be there. I had my doubts at times, I think maybe it was decided last week, but with the Vuelta a Espana's proximity to World Championships, I did still question it just a little bit," Gavin Quinn argued.
UAE Team Emirates - XRG will back the Slovenian whilst still having João Almeida primed for the start line. In the absence of most of the world's best climbers, Pogacar should have a calmer three-week race than what happened at the Tour de France.
"I'm excited to see it in a way. I think the route suits him pretty well, he doesn't have to go too far from his doorstep really, does he, with the start in Monaco. It's kind of one that the cycling world has seen coming, whether some people will respond to it in a positive way, I don't know".
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The home start in Monaco is a major factor for Pogacar, but Rúben Silva put further importance in the Tour de France, one in which the Slovenian didn't have to put out all the stops to win - and even spent considerable amount of time aiding Isaac del Toro's own ambitions.
"I think to myself, and I'm like, he didn't really have any problems, did he? He finished the race relaxed, he's probably not overly exhausted for sureI would say. And yeah, I always had in mind if finishes the Tour relatively fresh, he's going to race the Vuelta".
"Because as he said, it literally starts at his home, he can just walk to the start line, he can sleep in his own bed before the time trial begins... For a rider like Pogacar - we've seen in the past - he doesn't race too much, but the days he does not race, he wants to be away from the spotlight, he wants to be at home and with his partner, and he just wants to be off the limelight and just recover mentally more".
This makes Pogacar the ultimate favourite to win the third Grand Tour of the year and match Jonas Vingegaard when it comes to holding titles in all three Grand Tours.
"If nothing goes too odd, he's probably going to win a few stages, maybe the overall classification... And as I said, he's already won two consecutive World championships, so I think it makes sense for him to go for the Vuelta instead of going to Canada, and then trying out for the first with the ideal preparation, because the Vuelta is still going to be good".
Tadej Pogacar will be racing the 2026 Vuelta a España
Paula Blasi's UAE situation at the Tour de France Femmes
The Tour de France Femmes has also begun this Sunday. The duo discussed Lorena Wiebes' early domination; their own bets for the overall classification winner - with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Demi Vollering being chosen - and much more.
The leading topic in the French race has been the controversy between La Vuelta Femenina winner Paula Blasi and her own UAE Team ADQ. The Spaniard is reportedly leaving at the end of the season, creating internal tensions.
According to the rider herself, the team has two leaders and neither is Blasi, despite her evidence of strong performances. The clash between the two stunned the CyclingUpToDate team.
"I'm baffled as to how we got to this situation really in the first place, because if you turned on the TV to watch Paula Blasi riding up the Angliru, you would say 'okay, we have a next superstar', like a rider who should be cherished by her team, and not given at all, but definitely helped develop forward," Quinn added.
"And the next step of that would be being here, but that's where the problems come from, because you also have Eliza Longo Borghini here, and I don't know how we got to this situation. Perhaps it's agents, perhaps it's contracts, we know of the contract rumors with Paula Blasi".
Blasi has been reported to, despite having a contract until 2027, be leaving either to Movistar or Lidl-Trek. This has seemingly not fallen well with the UAE management, who is putting its focus on other riders at the sport's most important event.
"I guess it's unfortunate for almost everyone involved that it's got to this point, like there has been expressed that the road will decide, but if you don't feel like you have your team even behind you at the same time, it's hard to let the road decide too".
Rúben Silva has argued that the team is trying to push forward an idea that goes against its own interests. "She's part of the team, but she is apart from the team". Blasi, after winning her last three stage-races, was potentially UAE's best option to chase the podium at the Tour.
By not giving freedom to Blasi, the team is seemingly burying the chances of a rider that has immense potential. "These riders, all of them are already in different time gaps [after stage 1], so you just let the road decide, but it feels like UAE is not exactly letting the road decide".
With the mountains looming around the corner, Silva argued that UAE may enter a full-on clash if Blasi proves to be above her teammates over the coming days. "The problem, and it's weird to say this, because it's almost an artificial problem. The problem is if Blasi is stronger than Longo Borghini and the other riders".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Usain Bolt winning took up less than 10 seconds of my life. This is a 3 week bike race.joebloggs03-08-2026
- Tadej will wrap up the Vuelta in the first week. I just hope he doesn't spend the rest of his tour playing domestique for João Almeida and trying to make it podium. Pogi should ride like Jonas did last year. Conserve his energy for the World Championships.
PogiFan2Day03-08-2026 - Or support a fellow countryman at the Worlds, and target the European championship (which he has to ride, again the organisers making it impossible for him to refuse).Hills3303-08-2026
- Remco's "mano-a-mano stage win" came while Pogacar was dragging del Toro to the finishfredlyfred03-08-2026
- That's not a question. Nobody can beat Pogi if he is 100%. Remco can out TT him 99% of the time, but beat him on anything with a climb...not going to happen. As for Wout van Aert, maybe on cobbles or in a sprint finish. Past that he can't touch Pogi. And I like them both, but articles like this should say "who will place 2nd and 3rd at the World's? Unless Pogi is off I see nothing stopping him from winning a 3rd rainbow 🌈 "md197503-08-2026
- What you describe is, to me, the "restrained" part of the situation. It's media management, preventing a dialog like Vingegaard had to go through at the Giro, "is he saving enough energy," and all that.RidesHills03-08-2026
- Some fools are already complaining that the winner of the Vuelta is already known and that it will be boring because there are no serious opponents. I ask you, what would change if Vingegaard, Remco, Ayuso and Seixas were there? Absolutely nothing. In the eyes of Pogi haters, Pogačar shouldn't have gone to the Vuelta because the winner is already known. I ask you, should Usain Bolt have gone to races because the winner was already known, or should he have dropped out, so that it would be uncertain with results in 9.85-9.90 range for the win? Fools, keep your mouths closed and don't make bigger fools of yourselves. Capish?PogiSloFans03-08-2026
- "The race, however, was far from straightforward for the Soudal Quick-Step leader." WTF!? Who is Soudal Quick-Step leader. And what does he have to do with it?MajorPayne03-08-2026
- I don't think he has to win Romandie and Swiss. Every time there is talk about the greatest cyclists of all time, it's aways how many TdF they won, how many Giro's and Vuelta's, how many Monuments and World Championships... and maybe the Olympics, but not that important in cycling. This is the benchmark for road cycling, no one talks much about how many one week stage races were won.PogiSloFans03-08-2026
- True, that's why Pogi will win the Vuelta and the Rainbow Jersey.PogiSloFans03-08-2026
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