"He'll eventually find his redemption" - Fabio Aru backs Primoz Roglic to have a successful Vuelta
CyclingFriday, 21 August 2026 at 09:00
The 2026 Vuelta a Espana will kick off in just a bit and there is no bigger favourite for overall victory than Tadej Pogacar. The world champion has hardly shown any weakness throughout this season, and it's not expected he would do so at the Spanish Grand Tour either. But 2015 champion Fabio Aru believes he'll find many ambitious challengers for the red jersey.
Never doubt Roglic!
One obvious names has to come up almost immediately; the four-time winner Primoz Roglic. The 36-year-old had anything but smooth run-up to the race including a collision with a car which resulted in severe bruises. But Pogacar's older compatriot put himself together just in time for the Vuelta and is ready to compete.
"Certainly," Aru said in an interview for bici.pro, "Primoz hasn't had an easy ride. But he's still Roglic, a rider capable of winning this race four times. Not only has his build-up been less than optimal, but he's not even coming off his best year yet."
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Aru is confident Roglic won't end the race empty-handed: "I think he'll eventually find his redemption. At least, that's what I hope. He has the experience to do well... I'm pretty sure of it. Of course, he'll succeed if he has the legs, because the Vuelta is a demanding race."
Whether Roglic can compete for a result in the general classification should become clear in the first few stages, but one former Vuelta champion won't contest general classification with almost certainty; Sepp Kuss.
Primoz Roglic at the 2026 Tour de Suisse
"His presence is indeed curious. Kuss has proven he can win it, and if I remember correctly, precisely when he did all three Grand Tours. But given how he's getting there, given how things have changed a bit since Visma, I see him more focused on the stages."
Considering the incredible quality of Kuss to compete consistently across three weeks at a Grand Tour, it wouldn't be a surprise if he wound up somewhere in the GC without even trying for it; after all he was 13th at both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France this season.
Deal of the year in the making?
Among the many other candidates, one other rider in particular caught Aru's eye; the 23-year-old Oscar Onley. After his 4th place at the 2025 Tour de France, Netcompany INEOS were willing to pay considerable amount to free the young Brit from his contract at Picnic PostNL, hoping they might find their new GC leader.
Oscar Onley at 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
So far, the 2026 season has not been kind to Onley though. After a strong start to new season with 4th overall at Volta ao Algarve, Onley faced two setbacks and was only able to bounce back to his best level at Vuelta a Burgos where he claimed 2nd place behind another Vuelta podium contender Felix Gall.
"Onley," says Aru, "could be the real surprise of this Vuelta. The most likely outsider. It could be his redemption race. I followed him in Burgos, a classic approach to the Vuelta, and he did very well there. He's young and wants to show off."
And of course, the list of contenders doesn't end there; Joao Almeida, Richard Carapaz, Enric Mas, Felix Gall, or Mattias Skjelmose all have their eyes set on a potential podium. And with a tough race ahead, a lot can happen. Aru highlights that not even Pogacar can afford to grow too confident in his own victory too early.
"The Vuelta is the last Grand Tour of the season, we've become accustomed to a top-level field, and there are many riders looking to redeem themselves. The route is extremely tough. There are two stages with over 5,000 meters of elevation gain, it will also be very hot... and nothing can be taken for granted. Cycling is not a sport that can be taken for granted... not even for Tadej Pogacar. It's a road race, and anything can happen," Aru concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- The departures are eye-opening, especially when coupled with the ongoing sponsor crisis. But if you look at the biggest cases individually, it's harder to see a pattern: - Yates didn't switch teams, he quit cycling. - Niermann left for a bigger role than he had at Visma - Benoot wanted to stay, but left for more money - Kooij left because Visma is not a true sprint team, and TDF was unlikely Meanwhile Wout, Sepp, and others continue on with no hint of controversy or tension. I think the sponsor thing is real, but that aside I think most of what we are seeing is the normal, even inevitable turnover of a team that has enjoyed huge success over a period of years. Whether they can survive this transition and stay at/near the top is a fair question, but I'm not sure I see anything "rotten."MidnightRider21-08-2026
- Injuries aside, he just had the best year of his career and has negotiated a schedule that suits him better personally. Visma does seem to be going through a transition, but too many top professionals - Wout, Sepp, Laporte, Campy, etc. - are happy at Visma to say something is "rotten."MidnightRider21-08-2026
- Would have been nice to say what dat the race startscaptmike21-08-2026
- Clearly his heart just wasn't in it anymore. He gave us some pretty entertaining and exciting moments, though, and he rode with panache. I wish him all of the best for the future.
santiagobenites21-08-2026 - No, Pogi won't retire early. I can't imagine how frieders3 and maumaue-mause are feeling. Being Pogi haters and still having to watch him for the next 5 to 6 years must be discomforting. The poor guys.PogiSloFans21-08-2026
- I'm unstoppable I'm a Porsche with no brakes, I'm invincible. Yeah, I win every single game.PogiSloFans21-08-2026
- Pogi himself will take, till the end of the year, if everything goes well: Two GT's, four Monuments and the WC. Ain't that funny? :)) PS: He will probably also take the European Championships, considering it's in his and my beautiful Slovenia. POG=GOD !!!PogiSloFans21-08-2026
- Hey maumau-mause, this is a popular song here in Slovenia, from a singer called Adi Smolar. You can use ChatGPT to translate. But you usually sound so "SMART" you won't need ChatGPT: Jaz sem mali psihopat, psiho, psihopat, in te stisnu bom za vrat, bom za vrat! Z mano se ne smeš igrat, se ne smeš igrat, ker jaz sem mali psihopat, psihopat!PogiSloFans21-08-2026
- Maybe he doesn’t actually know he has multiple personality disorder?Mistermaumau21-08-2026
- Straight out of the old white orange mans’ playbook, as usual.Mistermaumau21-08-2026
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