OFFICIAL: Tadej Pogacar will ride the 2026 Vuelta a Espana as UAE Team Emirates- XRG rider set for return
CyclingMonday, 03 August 2026 at 10:11
Tadej Pogacar will ride the 2026 Vuelta a España, ending speculation of the UAE Team Emirates -XRG leader's long-awaited return to the Spanish Grand Tour as he looks to make it a Tour-Vuelta double.
UAE confirmed the news on Monday, announcing that Pogacar will lead the team alongside Joao Almeida. Marking the first time Pogacar returns to the race since 2019, the team said: "It’s true - he’s coming back."
Pogacar won the Tour de France last month in dominant fashion, equaling the record for five general classification wins and smashing the climbing record of Alpe d'Huez on stage 19.
Pogacar aims for Tour-Vuelta double
As the Slovenian marched to the yellow jersey, speculation rose of his Vuelta plans as both rider and team refused to rule out a return to the Spanish Grand Tour, which started in Pogacar's current residence in Monaco.
The world champion rode his first-ever Grand Tour at the 2019 Vuelta, winning three stages and finishing in third on the podium, but as his maiden Tour de France victory came the following year, he hasn't returned to the race.
The 2026 edition of La Vuelta begins in Monaco before the race makes its way to Andorra, then Northern Spain, and down to Andalusia in the south. With over 58,000 meters of climbing, seven summit finishes and two time trials, Pogacar will now be the big favourite to win his first red jersey.
Speculation of his participation came with the debate around whether it would interrupt one of his major season goals: winning a third World Championships in a row. With the Vuelta beginning on August 22nd and finishing on September 13th, it leaves a short window for recovery.
Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France
Evenepoel, van Aert and possibly Vingegaard to rival Pogacar
The Montreal showpiece sees Pogacar face the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert on September 27th. Another rival who could be at the start line is Jonas Vingegaard, eying a return after his Tour crash that left him with a broken collarbone.
When quizzed about his potential return to racing, the topic of the World Championships is something Vingegaard hasn't ruled out.
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“I actually don’t know yet; it depends on how the collarbone reacts, and how it heals, and how it recovers. It’s not out of the question for me, but I also don’t want to say now that it’s going to happen.”
Vingegaard hasn't been a prolific one-day rider throughout his career and has never ridden the World Championships road race at elite level, with his last outing being in the under-23 race in 2018.
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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- That's true, but sooner or later Pogi would have to do it, so he chose this year. Now if he still wins the WC, great ... if not, winning a 3 week race is just as good.PogiSloFans03-08-2026
- Did you all hear the good news? Pogi is going to win another Grand Tour... called La Vuelta!!! The rumor is, that the Danes were saying: "Jonas is better then Pogi, he's won 3 GT, Pogi only 2." ... Now Pogi doesn't like that, does he, so he decided to put things into place. 🤣🤣🤣PogiSloFans03-08-2026
- Manosphere? You mean guys like Andrew or frieder6? Yeah, I guess they do have anti-feminist views, strict ideas about masculinity, and hostility toward women.PogiSloFans03-08-2026
- Good for Pogi, I think he can do it. But just two weeks to recover for the world championships road race might be difficult right after two grand tours. Maybe Remco takes the rainbow jersey then, if he specifically prepares for it.Ride197403-08-2026
- Cyclinguptodate: "Their relationship, between Pogi and Jonas, may be friendlier away from racing, but another fight for the yellow jersey remains firmly in Vingegaard’s plans." I don't think so, his wife Trine is saying something completely different. My take is: Jonas knows, Team Visma knows, Trine knows, that never again will Jonas beat Pogi in TdF. Yes, if Pogi crashes and hurts himself, or if he gets ill, it can happen, but does Jonas really want to win in such a way? I don't think so. Jonas has won all three Grand Tours (btw Pogi will win them this year)... Jonas won most of the big one week stage races. So what's left for him? Nothing. Jonas racing and beating cyclists that are not Pogi means nothing to him. I know he's thinkig about retirement. Don't blame him... he has nothing to prove to anyone. Ad acta.PogiSloFans03-08-2026
- All because you recruited the wrong riders for a large sum of money. Scouting is bad.abstractengineer03-08-2026
- Cyclinguptodate: "Their relationship, between Pogi and Jonas, may be friendlier away from racing, but another fight for the yellow jersey remains firmly in Vingegaard’s plans." I don't think so, his wife Trine is saying something completely different: "If Jonas said he didn’t want to race again, I would understand, but I also do not know which races would be the obvious ones for him. And I have no idea how he will recover from that collarbone injury. When you look at his season as a whole, it is clear that you are very drained. You are constantly switched on, and when you are an introvert like he is, that takes energy out of him. Objectively speaking, riding two Grand Tours is also a huge achievement, with a lot of race days and a great deal of time spent away.” My take is: Jonas knows, Team Visma knows, Trine knows, that never again will Jonas beat Pogi. Yes, if Pogi crashes and hurts himself, or if Pogi gets ill, it can all happen, then Jonas can win, but we all know what kind of win that would be. Jonas has won all three Grand Tours (Pogi will win them this year)... Jonas won most of the big one week stage races. So what's left for him? Nothing. Jonas racing and beating cyclists that are not Pogi means nothing to him. I think Jonas is thinkig about retirement. Don't blame him... he has nothing to prove to anyone.PogiSloFans03-08-2026
- A shadow of their former self..
leedorney03-08-2026 - From what Jonas has said recently as well, maybe in hindsight they think he should have resisted the pressure in 2024 to go for three Tour wins in a row, and instead taken all the time he needed to recover fully from his Itzulia crash before racing again. That effort may have set him further back in the long run. It was painful to watch him making such efforts with so little muscle mass, and almost fainting at the end of the Galibier downhill on Stage 4.Hills3303-08-2026
- I mean she probably doesn't want to see her loved one destroy his body. As well as I'm sure she would love to have him help raise their young children and be present in their lives. Cycling is wonderful but is by no means the most important thing in life.bruins3003-08-2026
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