“This is part of the show” - Alberto Contador analyses Tadej Pogacar's Vuelta a España domination and criticism of 'spectacle'
CyclingThursday, 27 August 2026 at 10:12
Tadej Pogacar’s dominance at the Vuelta a España is draining much of the suspense from the general classification very early. The Slovenian already holds close to a three-minute gap over his main rivals and, barring mishap, looks set to be the overall winner in Madrid. Alberto Contador and Juan Antonio Flecha analysed the situation and shifted the focus to the other battle still alive in the race.
Contador raised the debate live: Grand Tours are being “wrapped up too soon,” with little fight for the overall. In the case of the Vuelta, Flecha’s response was blunt.
“He’s won every race except Roubaix, right? Of the ones he’s ridden, the overall is, well, basically decided, unless something strange happens, he’s just far superior to the rest,” explained Flecha, who believes the real question now is how far Pogacar’s show of force can go.
“The question is, what will he do with that red jersey? Will he keep it to the end? Quite possibly yes,” the former rider said, underlining the huge gap the Vuelta a España leader has already built. “He’s already taken almost three minutes today, some are now more than four minutes down,” he added.
Tadej Pogacar, leader of the Vuelta a España
Contador: “He’s going to win this Vuelta a España”
Alberto Contador was even more emphatic when assessing the GC picture. For the seven-time Grand Tour winner, the outcome looks virtually settled unless something extraordinary happens.
“We need to focus on whether he takes three minutes or 15,” Contador said. “We have a rider who, everything suggests, unless he crashes or suffers a serious illness, is going to win this Vuelta a España.”
The Spaniard also pointed to another key attraction: the number of stage wins Pogacar might collect. “He’s going to win it with many stage victories. We’ll have to see how many he wants to take,” he noted.
And that is precisely where Contador sees a second race within the Vuelta itself.
“There’s another, very attractive Vuelta a España”
Even if Pogacar has the overall virtually under lock and key, the fight for the remaining podium spots and for stage wins keeps the competition alive. Contador highlighted the growing battle for second and third place.
“Then there’s the other Vuelta a España, which I think is a very attractive Vuelta a España,” he explained.
He cited what happened the previous day, when a group of riders opened gaps on the rest of the favourites. “Yesterday we saw a group of six riders, and let’s include Carapaz and Skjelmose in that group, who came in a few seconds down, and they’re going to fight for second and third,” he said.
So, even if the battle for the red jersey looks almost resolved, there is still plenty to decide in this race.
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Contador also wanted to underline the spectacle of having Pogacar at the Vuelta a España. “If we have Pogacar in the race, and we all celebrated when he announced he was coming to the Vuelta a España, we know this is to be expected,” he said.
He closed with a clear reflection: “This is also a show. Yes, it takes some of the suspense out of the fight for the overall, yes, but I think it’s a spectacle.”
The Vuelta, then, may have found in Pogacar an almost unassailable dominator for the overall, but the battles for the podium, stages, and secondary classifications still offer plenty of intrigue. The question now seems less about who will win the race, and more about how big Pogacar’s margin will be and how far his dominance can go.
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- So are millions of others.Renz27-08-2026
- What is Naesen's definition of an opponent? Giulio Pellizzari, on stage 16 of the 2024 Giro, battled to stay ahead of Pogačar. After failing to do so, he asked for Pogačar's glasses, and recieved that aswell as the (sweaty) jersey. He later was the only rider who fought Pogačar on Monte Grappa, attacking from the favourites on the first ascent and flying past the breakaway before he was caught by Pogačar on the second ascent, but stayed with him for a kilometre or two. That's clearly viewing Pogačar as an opponent
Rafionain-Glas27-08-2026 - I think that's a bit too generous. He seems to spend more time ill or crashing than actually rolling his wheels on the bikeRafionain-Glas27-08-2026
- That man (Cian) is an absolute rolling disaster.wrsty27-08-2026
- Er, he didn't ask for the glasses, as you yourself say. A bottle is not much to give, but those glasses were special.Hills3327-08-2026
- A monopoly is generally considered harmful to consumers and the economy because it eliminates competition, often leading to higher prices and lower quality. Pogi and his backers have created a monopoly.
vannpelt27-08-2026 - His racing weight for the Tour de l'Avenir was 59 kg for 1.81 m, which is extraordinary lean. Despite that, his time trialing (something not assessed at the Tour de l'Avenir, but at the Giro) is at a high level.Rafionain-Glas27-08-2026
- Bingo! PogiFanBoy can't seem to see the trees through the forest !frieders327-08-2026
- OMG you once again missed the point ! Are your reading comprehension skills that bad at your advanced age ? Remco rode conservatively so as to protect a second place GC versus never once attacking Tadeg. Nathan said that was plain 'chicken shit' ! Capish !frieders327-08-2026
- The report was right.. Wout asked Tadej for a bottle for his son, and Tadej obliged by giving the boy his sunglasses.FredMan27-08-2026
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