“We couldn’t make it any closer to home” – Vuelta a Espana director urges Tadej Pogacar to finally target 2026 edition

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.

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.

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.