CyclingUpToDate Podcast: "That's the big game changer..." - Tadej Pogacar's 2027 Tour-World-Vuelta combo under scrutiny
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has made it known that he will be racing the Tour de France, World Championships and Vuelta a España in 2027. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have discussed the potential implications of the goals in such quick succession.
"We're going to have nonstop Pogacar action pretty much from the beginning of the Tour to the end of the Vuelta," Silva said on this Monday's episode.
Pogacar is a five-time winner of the Tour de France, and could go on to achieve the undisputed record next summer. His summer will be a busy one, as the former World Champion will compete in the Grand Boucle; will race the World Championships and then will follow that up with the Vuelta a España.
This was revealed by RTV Slo, with Pogacar reportedly having begun his training for the 2027 season already. "It's a surprise that he's announced his intention to ride the Vuelta so explicitly," Quinn argued.
"Like we've seen before in recent seasons, even this season just gone, where the Vuelta wasn't confirmed until after the Tour, or at least towards the end of the Tour. So it's interesting to see him confirm his planned Vuelta participation straight away".
Can Pogacar keep his form throughout Tour and Vuelta?
Having withdrawn from this year's Vuelta due to crash, Pogacar is no longer making it ambiguous: The Vuelta is a major career goal and one that he is set out to achieve as soon as possible in his career.
The Tour de France ends on the 25th July; the World Championships road race is on the August 29th; and the Vuelta a España will begin on the 4th September. Silva argued that between th the Tour and Vuelta Pogacar won't be able to recover much, but instead train to maintain his form - and that could prove costly for the Vuelta.
Quinn believes it is less of an issue: "The World Championships is before the Vuelta and that's the big game changer. And it's only a few days before. It means it can be combined into one big block perfectly".
"Even a month after the Tour de France, it's kind of like the perfect setup for any rider who wants to target that double, plus the World Championships in the middle. Particularly if you're a GC rider, because it's climbing World Championships".
A rider like Pogacar has rarely struggled with form at the top level, hence making a strong point for his consistency throughout the summer:
"He doesn't need to mess around too much with his shape, or his weight, or his training. Because of the nature of Worlds, it means riders don't necessarily have to prepare for a classics style of racing. They don't have to put on a couple of extra kilos".
Tadej Pogacar won the 2026 Tour de France
"I raise a question though. Do you think that it is ideal? Because if you're doing the Tour de France, you're already going to prepare for it 100%. World Championships, he has to go 100% if he wants to win them. Where does he have the time to rest?" Silva argued.
"There's not going to be a true recovery block and then a true training block ahead of the Vuelta, if this makes sense. There has to be a selection, a choice".
However as seen this summer, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG might be able to make the difference in Spain even without his best legs.
"We also have to consider that Tadej Pogacar doesn't follow the same peaks and dips in form and shape like other riders. Yeah, he's got to go all in for the Worlds. He wants to win his rainbow jersey back. And if he's in peak shape for Worlds, I think he can hold it across the Vuelta. Maybe he struggles in final week, et cetera, like we've seen".
"Maybe if he comes in the Tour de France at 100, he can win a Vuelta at 85 or even 80, depending on the competition," Quinn argues. Silva doesn't think Pogacar would have the same 'luck' next year: "Depending on the competition. That's a big if, because it seems like this year he had the mission made easy".
"That's not going to be the case every year. And next year with Vingegaard, with Evenepoel, with Paul Seixas... We're not going to see a repetition of this year. And I definitely don't think that all of them are exclusively going to focus on the Tour de France".
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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