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
Juan Ayuso
Ivo Oliveira
Domen Novak
Mikkel Bjerg
Jay Vine
Marc Soler
Felix Grossschartner
Read also
We’re delighted to announce our eight-man squad for #LaVuelta25, with @JooAlmeida98 returning to lead the team after injury 💪🏻🇪🇸
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) July 29, 2025
Offering the team plenty of options in the mountains, co-leader @juann_ayuso will make his third appearance in his home Grand Tour 🏔️ #WeAreUAE… pic.twitter.com/vbhlmRhxFC
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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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
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- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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