Tadej Pogačar to compete at La Vuelta a España 2026 in Spain; to become ninth man to win all three

Tadej Pogačar to compete at La Vuelta a España 2026 - the only Grand Tour he has yet to win

Fresh off his fifth Tour de France title, the Slovenian great confirmed that he will race in the Spanish road race, which takes place from 22 August to 13 September.

Tadej Pogačar will aim to complete the Grand Tour road cycling set when he competes at La Vuelta a España 2026 .

The Olympic bronze medallist claimed a record-equalling fifth general classification in Paris on 26 July, while winning his sole title at the Giro d’Italia in 2024. Only ‘La Vuelta’ remains for the 27-year-old to become the ninth man to win all three tours.

“I’m excited to say I’m going back to La Vuelta,” Pogačar said in a UAE Team Emirates-XRG statement . “It was my first ever Grand Tour back in 2019 and an amazing experience.

“Spain is a country I love to visit and race in and I think the time is right to go back. The motivation is high to finish off the year in a good way and the Vuelta will be a big target. The team is strong and we hope to do good things.”

Pogačar is returning to La Vuelta a España for the first time since 2019, where he finished third with three individual stage wins and the young rider classification.

‘Pogi’ will challenge for the general classification against the likes of reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard and two-time Olympic gold medallist Remco Evenepoel .

La Vuelta begins on 22 August in the Principality of Monaco and finishes in the southern Spanish city of Granada. There will also be a stage in Andorra-la-Vella, the capital of Andorra, on 25 August.

It will be one of the most challenging editions of the race in recent years, as cyclists race over 3,300km (2,050 miles) and almost 58,000m (190,000ft) of elevation gain. Among 21 stages, the race will feature two individual time trials and six mountain stages.

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This article was translated by Nischal Schwager-Patel .

22 August - 13 September

Cycling Road | La Vuelta | Spain | Spain