“He’s the best... there’s nothing you can do about it” – Tadej Pogacar’s unparalleled dominance deflates Vuelta a Espana peloton
CyclingThursday, 27 August 2026 at 16:00
Tadej Pogacar arrived at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana as the overwhelming favourite. Five stages later, the scale of the task facing his rivals is already measurable: two victories, a 3:21 advantage and control of the red, green and mountains jerseys.
The Slovenian is pursuing the only Grand Tour still missing from a palmares that already includes five Tour de France victories and a Giro d’Italia title. His opening week in Spain has suggested that a different race will not necessarily produce a different problem for those trying to beat him.
“When you’re competing against the best, there isn’t much more you can do,” EF Education-EasyPost rider Markel Beloki told MARCA ahead of Stage 6. “That’s it. He’s the best and that’s all there is to it.”
Pogacar turns expectation into a three-minute lead
Pogacar began his Vuelta by beating Ethan Hayter by just 0.09 seconds in the opening 9.4-kilometre time trial through Monaco. That narrow victory placed him in red, but his first meaningful advantage over the other general classification contenders came three days later in Andorra.
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Attacking on the Collada de Beixalis with more than 50 kilometres remaining, Pogacar immediately separated himself from every other contender. He continued alone to complete the longest solo victory of his Grand Tour career, finishing 2:39 ahead of Jarno Widar and the first group of GC rivals.
The performance increased his overall advantage to 3:21 over four-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic. Enric Mas is third at 3:32, with Sepp Kuss, Oscar Onley and Richard Carapaz all already approaching four minutes behind the race leader.
The distance of Pogacar’s attack added to the sense of inevitability. His rivals had not allowed him to escape unnoticed or surrendered time through a tactical miscalculation. Once he accelerated, nobody else could sustain the same speed.
That has become a recurring feature of Pogacar’s dominance across modern cycling. Long-range attacks that would once have appeared unnecessarily ambitious have become a reliable way for him to win Grand Tour stages, one-day Classics and world titles. His 50-kilometre move in Andorra brought the same formula to the race he has yet to add to his collection.
MARCA subsequently asked Beloki whether Grand Tours being shaped so early risked creating a sense of predictability or boredom among cycling supporters. The 21-year-old did not criticise Pogacar for winning or dispute his right to exploit his superiority. “As I said, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Beloki replied. “He’s the best and we simply have to adapt to that. That’s it. There’s nothing more to it.”
Markel Beloki at the 2026 Vuelta a España
Carapaz and the battle behind Pogacar
The margins among Pogacar’s pursuers offer a sharp contrast to the gap at the top. Only 45 seconds separate Roglic in second from Mattias Skjelmose and Widar, who are tied on time at 4:06.
Carapaz is sixth overall at 3:50, leaving the EF Education-EasyPost leader only 29 seconds away from Roglic and 18 seconds behind Mas. Beloki’s immediate priority is therefore helping the Ecuadorian turn that tightly packed contest into another Grand Tour podium challenge.
Beloki has not entered the race in ideal condition. A minor illness following the Vuelta a Burgos disrupted his preparation, and he admitted that the opening stages had been more difficult than hoped during his first season containing two Grand Tours.
“I’m also trying to manage my efforts so that I can be as close as possible to Richie from the second week onwards and help him in every way I can,” he explained.
Stage 6, with two significant climbs and a gravel sector, could also offer Beloki an opportunity of his own. He identified it as the stage most likely to reward a breakaway since the Vuelta left Monaco and intended to fight for a place in the move.
Those ambitions sit within the reality established in Andorra. Carapaz remains within half a minute of second place and seven riders are packed closely behind Pogacar, but all of them begin Stage 6 more than three minutes away from the red jersey. After only one completed mountain stage, the closest fight at the Vuelta is already the one taking place behind its overwhelming favourite.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Not many million... just a little over two million of Slovenians...PogiSloFans27-08-2026
- I have huge bollocks... 🩸 😂😂PogiSloFans27-08-2026
- YesPogiSloFans27-08-2026
- It was very admirable that Josh even started the Vuelta in the first place. I can't begin to imagine what he's had to deal with for the past couple of weeks.
santiagobenites27-08-2026 - Noabstractengineer27-08-2026
- I said what I said, so shush. Capish?PogiSloFans27-08-2026
- Some are saying Pogačar has the best team around him. My bollocks... his team at the Vuelta is so "good" that his only serious help is Vine - who hasn't finished a single race since January and Pablo Torres - who had knee surgery 4 months ago and this is his first grand tour. Almeida is overrated, always was, just like Ayuso. You all have to realize that Pogi alone is a TEAM. God gave Pogi almost everything...talent as if it came directly from him... health, fame... he is a sports icon. He rules the world. Ad acta!!! PS: OMG, I'm using the word God... but I'm an atheist :))PogiSloFans27-08-2026
- Alright the first thing he said was wrong, Seixas did Dauphine, 8 days, already last year. Also, the logical conclusion is that Pogacar had a lot more room for improvementvappaxbipmv27-08-2026
- The same logic would apply to you. He has pro victories, YOU HAVE ZERO. What gives you the right to comment on his comments on Pogi? Everybody has free speech and can comment, whether you like it or not.abstractengineer27-08-2026
- Geraint Thomas is saying: “You’re not going to race Pogi with 50k to go and he’s doing seven watts per kilo, because you know you just can’t do that." Exactly, and Johan Bruyneel is saying the same... and other cycling experts. Everyone gets it except Chris Horner. His analysis how to beat Pogi are becoming BS: "Don't go too fast...don't go too slow...use this tactic, but on the next climb use another tactic... bla bla bla... If you have a rider like Pogi, an alien, you can stuff yout tactics where the sun never shines. If Pogi has his team around him, he has everything under control... if he's isolated he breaks away from the peleton and says... "See you in the douches." Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans27-08-2026
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