“We couldn’t make it any closer to home” – Vuelta a Espana director urges Tadej Pogacar to finally target 2026 edition
Cycling
The Grand Depart of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana was officially presented in Monaco on Thursday — and race director Javier Guillen used the opportunity to send a very public invitation to Tadej Pogacar, who just so happens to live in the Principality.
Next year’s race will open on 22 August 2026 with a short 9km individual time trial through the streets of Monaco, marking another glamorous foreign start for Spain’s Grand Tour. And Guillen, speaking to Televisión Española, couldn’t resist teasing the world’s top rider into completing his Grand Tour set.
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“To enrich his legend, he needs to win all three”
Pogacar, a four-time Tour de France winner and reigning Giro d’Italia champion, has yet to conquer La Vuelta — the only Grand Tour missing from his palmarès. Guillen believes that should be motivation enough:
“He’s already a legend of cycling,” Guillen said, “but to enrich that legend, he needs to win all three Grand Tours. The only one he hasn’t won yet is the Vuelta, and that should be enough of an incentive.”
The Slovenian last rode the race in 2019, stunning the cycling world with three stage victories and a third-place finish on GC at just 19 years old. Now, Guillen hopes that Pogacar’s current base in Monaco might finally tip the balance: “We couldn’t make it any closer to home,” he smiled.
Pogacar’s packed calendar remains the stumbling block
Convincing Pogacar to return to La Vuelta has long been a challenge for organisers. The World Championships continue to clash with the race, and the 2026 edition — held in Montreal on the demanding circuit of the Canadian Classic — is seen as a major target for the Slovenian.
Inside UAE Team Emirates - XRG, there’s also concern about overloading their star. A Tour-Vuelta double followed by the Worlds in late September would be a gruelling sequence, especially after Pogacar’s intense early-season campaigns at Milano–Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
In 2025, La Vuelta wasn’t ruled out completely until after the Tour, but the fatigue Pogacar showed in Paris — particularly in his final duel with Wout van Aert on Montmartre — highlighted the difficulty of sustaining such a demanding schedule.
Still, Guillen’s Monaco invitation has reignited speculation. Could 2026 finally be the year that Pogacar returns to Spain in order to try and complete his Grand Tour collection? As Guillen himself said — there’s no harm in trying.
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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- This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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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
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