"UAE has always focused more on long-term preservation" - Will Pogacar race La Vuelta? Decision to be made this Tuesday
Cycling
Will Tadej Pogacar race the Vuelta a España this year? The decision will be made this Tuesday according to his agent Alex Carera, although no hints have been given.
Pogacar's La Vuelta decision made Tuesday
Pogacar has just concluded the Tour de France, completing a months-long project to prepare as best as possible for the Grand Boucle and win a fifth Tour, which puts him on par with Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. The World Champion might improve on this in the coming years, but ultimately, the Slovenian has said that he is not chasing records.
The Vuelta a España begins in late August, and might be in his plans. Starting off in Monaco, it would be a home start for Pogacar; with the race also ending near Sierra Nevada where he spends immense time during altitude camps.
This week, the Slovenian has travelled back home to Monaco, and will also be flying to Slovenia for a set of events. Afterwards he will return to training in some form; aiming for the World Championships but perhaps not only. The decision will be made this Tuesday.
"UAE has scheduled a meeting with Tadej and his coach tomorrow (Tuesday, ed.) to decide, based on how he finished the Tour de France, and I think it's a good idea," Pogacar's agent Alex Carera said in words to Sky Sports.
"What to do to compete in the World Championships, which is a given, and possibly participate in the Vuelta. So any doubts will be raised internally and then communicated at the appropriate time, within a week or ten days or so."
Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France
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UAE focus on long-term preservation
Pogacar had previously spoken about using the Canadian classics as preparation for the Montreal World Championships; however with the Vuelta featuring a home start for him, and the absence of fatigue that marked the end of his 2025 Tour, it could be that he will set off on his second Grand Tour of the year. With modest competition at the start as of now, it could allow him to finally complete his list of Grand Tours.
Whatever the decision is, Carera is confident that the team will act in his best interest, thinking about his career rather than ticking boxes off the list. "I believe they will decide together for Tadej's best interests, because UAE has always focused more on long-term preservation than on wanting everything right away".
"And given his victories, the Monuments and the Grand Tours, I'd say that for now, the choices have been more than correct," he concluded.
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.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- 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
- 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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