Primoz Roglic set to start Vuelta after 50-50 scare but stage wins could replace GC ambitions following training crash
Cycling
Primoz Roglic is now expected to take his place at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, only days after his chances of starting were reportedly rated at 50-50 following the training crash that derailed his final preparations.
Both Gazzetta dello Sport and Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reported on Monday that the four-time winner will line up when the race begins on August 22, although Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe have yet to officially confirm his participation.
Making the start may only answer one part of the uncertainty surrounding Roglic. According to Gazzetta, the Slovenian could use the opening part of the Vuelta to build his condition before targeting stage victories later in the race, rather than arriving with the general classification as his immediate priority.
That would be a very different Vuelta from the one Roglic had planned. His 2026 season was deliberately built around returning to Spain and pursuing a fifth overall victory, which would move him clear of Roberto Heras as the most successful rider in the history of the race.
Roglic's carefully planned Vuelta build-up unravelled after training crash
Roglic deliberately stayed away from both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France this year, placing the Vuelta at the centre of a comparatively light programme.
He opened his season with fifth overall at Tirreno-Adriatico and later finished on the podium at Milano-Torino, while further stage-race appearances came at the Itzulia Basque Country, Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse. His only victory of the campaign so far arrived at the Slovenian national time trial championships at the end of June.
The plan was then for the Clasica San Sebastian and Vuelta a Burgos to provide his final competitive preparation before Spain. Both disappeared from the schedule after Roglic was hit by a driver while training.
Roglic subsequently shared an image showing significant bruising to the back of his leg and acknowledged that the accident was "not the best scenario", although he initially continued to speak of recovering in time for the Vuelta. Exactly when the collision happened and the full extent of the injuries have not been publicly detailed.
By the weekend, Gazzetta journalist Ciro Scognamiglio was reporting that sources put Roglic's chances of starting at only "fifty-fifty". Monday's reports now point towards Roglic racing after all, but with the competitive preparation he had planned in San Sebastian and Burgos completely removed. If Gazzetta's suggested scenario plays out, the Vuelta itself would become part of his route back towards race condition.
Roglic had been hoping to go for a record 5th Vuelta a Espana title
Record fifth Vuelta remains the backdrop to Roglic's return
The 36-year-old has won the Vuelta four times, taking his first Grand Tour overall victory there in 2019 before successfully defending the title in 2020 and 2021.
After crashing out while sitting second overall in 2022 and finishing third behind Sepp Kuss and Jonas Vingegaard in 2023, Roglic returned to the top step in 2024. That fourth victory drew him level with Roberto Heras for the most overall wins in the history of the race. A fifth would move Roglic clear of the Spaniard as the sole record holder.
That record attempt sat at the heart of his decision to make the Vuelta his only Grand Tour of 2026, even before Tadej Pogacar's subsequent confirmation added another major obstacle to his plans.
Pogacar will return to the Vuelta for the first time since his Grand Tour debut in 2019, when the then 20-year-old finished third behind Roglic and Alejandro Valverde while winning three stages.
Seven years later, Pogacar arrives as a five-time Tour de France winner, while Roglic was already facing a formidable task in the fight for red before the training crash complicated his own preparation.
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Roglic has recovered from disrupted Vuelta build-ups before
Roglic has, however, won the Vuelta after disrupted summers before. His 2021 victory followed the injuries that ended his Tour de France, while he again arrived in Spain after crashing out of the Tour when he won his fourth Vuelta in 2024. His unsuccessful 2022 attempt also followed another difficult Tour.
The difference in 2026 is the complete absence of his planned final race block. Roglic has not competed since the Slovenian championships at the end of June and will reach August 22 without either of the two races intended to bridge the gap into the Vuelta.
Four victories from six Vuelta appearances mean the record fifth title will inevitably remain part of the conversation if Roglic takes the start. For now, though, the latest reports suggest his more immediate task may simply be to find his race condition again before deciding what the final two weeks of the Vuelta can offer.
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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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