Tadej Pogacar's La Vuelta return being hinted? World Champion trains on Spanish Grand Tour's climbs ahead of Tour de France

The decision on whether Tadej Pogacar will race the 2026 Vuelta a España will only be made after the end of the Tour de France, however there is another argument for the World Champion's participation. Whilst preparing for the Tour at Sierra Nevada, the Slovenian has also reconned several climbs that will be used in the Spanish Grand Tour.

According to AS the Slovenian has spent the last few days going through several of the climbs that will be tackled at the 2026 Vuelta. At that location, the climbs to El Purche and the Alto de Hazallanas are obvious features; but the climb that ends stage 20 - the lesser known Collado Alguacil - has also been on the menu.

The Vuelta was initially planned to end on the Canary Islands this year, but after last summer's protests and the existence of Israel - Premier Tech in the peloton, the decision was made in anticipation.

Hence the route will feature its second half almost fully in the region on Andalucia. Four more stages will be raced in the area when compared to the initial plan, making the area around Sierra Nevada the potential key part of the race.

The Slovenian will race the Tour de Suisse which starts on the 17th of June, and is putting in his final touches on an altitude camp that is key for his overall preparation towards the Tour de France.

The Tour begins on the 4th of July in Barcelona, where he will aim to take a record-matching fifth yellow jersey. Afterwards there are questions on what his calendar will look like. The Canadian classics, ahead of Canada's World Championships (on the same circuit at the GP de Montréal) are an obvious path for many, but for the rider whose won the world titles in both previous seasons, it may not be the highest priority.

Pogacar has, on the 22nd of August, a home start at La Vuelta, which begins in the streets of Monaco. This, combined with the Vuelta's lower overall pressure and the absence of Jonas Vingegaard and Paul Seixas (if nothing out of the ordinary happens) means that the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider could have a relatively relaxed Vuelta, and have space to build his form into it as Vingegaard did in 2025.

With the Vuelta beginning at his home and finishing in an area that he is already familiar with and has been exploring, it might be the perfect opportunity to complete the Grand Tour list - whilst in 2027 and 2028 the 'Super' World Championships and the Olympic Games will both put important milestones in the months of July and August that would make a Vuelta participation more difficult.