OFFICIAL: Tadej Pogacar OUT of La Vuelta; Juan Ayuso steps in to co-lead with João Almeida

Throughout the past week all signs pointed towards that and now it has been made official: Tadej Pogacar will not race the 2025 Vuelta a España. Due to the fatiguing Tour de France the World Champion was taken to the limit and will take time to rest, opting to skip the final Grand Tour of the season. UAE Team Emirates - XRG have in his place selected Juan Ayuso who will become a new team leader alongside João Almeida as both will be victory contenders at La Vuelta.

João Almeida's presence is confirmed after having suffered injuries at the Tour de France which ended his race. “It’s a special feeling to start the Vuelta as team leader, especially with the form I’ve shown this season," the Portuguese said in a press release. "The recovery from the Tour crash has been smooth and my sensations in training have been good. We have a strong group around us, and I believe we can fight for something big.”

Ayuso also abandoned the Giro d'Italia under similar conditions, and both have an opportunity for redemption now. "The Vuelta is a very special race for me, my home race. I’ve been training well, I’m feeling good, and I’m focused 100% on doing a good race for the team. It’s always an honour to race on home roads, and I’ll give everything to make it count — whether it’s helping the team or going for a result myself. Spain always brings out something extra in me.”

The two will be joined by Jay Vine, Marc Soler, Felix Grossschartner and Domen Novak in the mountains to form what will certainly be one of the strongest blocks to aim for overall success. Mikkel Bjerg and Ivo Oliveira have been selected as the domestiques at hand for the flat and hilly days.

Team manager Joxean Matxin confirms the two will be co-leading the team, alongside a more diverse team that can also hunt for stages in most terrains: “We’re going into the Vuelta España with a clear plan built around João and Juan. Both are proven GC contenders and complement each other well. The team around them brings depth and experience that will be key in the mountains and time trials. The idea this year was for Tadej to return to the Vuelta, but the season has been a long one for him. We spoke and agreed that the best thing for him now is to take a good rest and build up to his final season goals.”

UAE Team Emirates - XRG for Vuelta a España:

João Almeida
Juan Ayuso
Ivo Oliveira
Domen Novak
Mikkel Bjerg
Jay Vine
Marc Soler
Felix Grossschartner