"It wasn't at all feasible for him" - UAE explanation for Tadej Pogacar not riding the 2025 Vuelta a Espana; What's changed this time around?
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar's long-awaited Vuelta a Espana return has been signed and sealed as the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider is confirmed to take to the start on August 22nd. However, after team boss Mauro Gianetti's comments last summer, it begs the question: what has changed?
After the Slovenian took his fourth Tour de France win last summer, beating Jonas Vingegaard convincingly, but finishing the Tour a shadow of his usual energetic self, Gianetti poured cold water over a speculated Vuelta participation.
Talk of Pogacar riding the Spanish Grand Tour has long been on the agenda for UAE and Pogacar. He rode the 2019 edition before his meteoric Tour de France rise the following summer, but as he became the all-conquering face of cycling, has seen other goals best the Vuelta.
With Spring classics and the Tour de France his usual season goals, Pogacar has won the last two World Championships road race titles after the Tour. With Il Lombardia in October, Pogacar's usual late-season goals have proved difficult to combine with a Vuelta.
His team boss, speaking in August 2025, opened up on the demands of Pogacar's success and why the team try not to over-exert him - offering an insight into why the Slovenian hadn't returned to Spain.
“Being Tadej Pogacar is great, but it's not easy,” Gianetti told Cyclingnews last August.
Pogacar is always under pressure
“When he competes, he's under a lot of pressure; everyone expects him to go fast, to win, to put on a show. So it's important for us to manage this situation, because he's not just a rider.”
For Gianetti, their job is to manage his schedule to ensure he arrives at races with “enough physical and mental rest to be happy in the races, to have fun and to entertain the fans as he always has.”
One reason for his lack of participation in the race can be attributed to his serious focus on the Spring classic races as well as the Tour de France as his priority. Gianetti pointed to the effects of classics racing such as Paris-Roubaix.
“He's taken part in all the classics: Strade Bianche, Flanders, Roubaix, Amstel, Liège, and this is truly a very, very demanding challenge,” he added.
“Perhaps those who aren't part of the team don't appreciate it much, because they think Paris-Roubaix is just a one-day race. But it has a much more significant impact on a rider than a week-long stage race, and taking part in all the spring classics is more difficult than participating in a Grand Tour."
In 2026, Pogacar is on his way to the Vuelta. With a similar schedule up until this point of the season compared to last, something different is in the air compared to comments Gianetti made last year.
He added: "All in all, it's a very huge physical and mental challenge, so it wasn't at all feasible for him to take part in the Vuelta.”
Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France
Why is it different for Pogacar this time around?
Among the reasons, a Monaco start right on Pogacar's doorstep means that he faces no pre-race travel for the Grand Tour. However, the main reason could be considered his incredible Tour de France.
Not only did Pogacar dominate La Grand Boucle, but he was able to take a back-seat for multiple days, pick and choose his attacks in week two and three as well as find new motivation and joy in supporting Isaac del Toro's podium challenge.
Read also
Pogacar painted a fresh figure at the end of July after the Tour, meaning that a Vuelta decision quickly came into focus. Despite the World Championships looming just two weeks after the end of the Vuelta, the decision was confirmed last week.
As the cycling world awaits Pogacar's tilt at the triple crown of Grand Tours, it seems that a successful Tour changed he and Gianetti's tune, with the team seemingly confident that he can arrive and win the race in his usual dominant manner.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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