Tadej Pogacar will ride the Vuelta a Espana this month as he attempts to become only the ninth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours. His UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad confirmed the news on Monday, announcing the Slovenian in its line-up for the three-week race in his first appearance at the Spanish Grand Tour since his debut in 2019, when a 22-year-old Pogacar finished third and won three stages.
The confirmation lands days after Pogacar claimed a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title, joining Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the most successful riders in the race's history. Victory in Spain would complete a career Grand Tour set after his near-10-minute Giro d'Italia win in 2024, and make him only the fourth man after Anquetil, Hinault and Chris Froome to win the Tour and the Vuelta in the same season — a feat Froome is the only rider to have managed in the modern era, since the Vuelta moved to its late-season slot.
"I'm excited to say I'm going back to La Vuelta," said Pogacar. "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."