"Tadej adapts to every course" - Alberto Contador believes Pogacar is well suited to La Vuelta's 2025 course
Cycling
Last week the route of the Vuelta a España 2025 came to light. It was announced an edition that will focus on the north of the country. Moreover, as far as the cyclists are concerned, the men in the general classification will hog practically all the limelight. Alberto Contador has shared his thoughts on the race.
He points directly to 2 names in particular: Tadej Pogacar and Enric Mas. The official confirmation of the Slovenian's participation is still missing. The Spaniard already has the grand tour in his calendar for next season.
The Movistar Team leader will once again be a candidate to win a grand tour that has not yet seen him at the top of the final podium, but has seen him finish on the podium several times To be able to do so in 2025, Alberto Contador, in words for Marca, sends him a warning.
"The route is nice for the spectator. It has 10 mountaintop finishes, which is going to make the men in the general classification have to be very regular and not fail," said the Spanish cycling legend.
Enric Mas will take advantage of the fact that there are only 2 time-trials, and none of them should be decisive for the overall. The first will be a team time-trial on stage 5, and the second will be on stage 18 in Valladolid and completely flat.
For that reason, and considering that Pogacar would the big favorite, Contador makes it clear that no one can fail on any mountain day.
Contador also referred directly to Pogacar and his role as favorite: "What course is not ideal for him? I think Tadej adapts to every course. But without a doubt this one is good for him."
In the absence of the announcement of the UAE Team Emirates star's racing calendar, it seems that two of Tadej Pogacar's main objectives will be Milano-Sanremo and the aforementioned Vuelta a España. These are two races that he has yet to add to his palmares.
After completing the best individual season in history in 2024, the Slovenian can only continue to accumulate titles.
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.
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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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