The 2026 Giro d’Italia and Tour de France have come and gone, which means there is only one Grand Tour left in 2026: the Vuelta a España. The Spanish stage race begins on August 22, and IDL Pro Cycling will be keeping track of the (confirmed) participants throughout the race.
While the start lists for the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France are usually announced fairly early, that’s often not the case for the Vuelta. Many riders have already completed a Grand Tour, so it’s often a case of team’s making last-minute decisions.
This year, the Vuelta will begin in Monaco on August 22 with an individual time trial. Over the course of the three weeks, riders will, of course, have to tackle the usual elevation gain, though the finish will not be in Madrid this time. Due to the Formula 1 street race in the Spanish capital, Granada will host the final stage.The top favorite is Tadej Pogacar, whose team, UAE Emirates-XRG, was the first to announce its eight-rider roster. The Slovenian, who has a chance to complete his Grand Tour trilogy, will be supported by riders including Joao Almeida, Jay Vine, and Kevin Vermaerke.
In addition to Pogacar, Wout van Aert, Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), and Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS), among others, are also expected at the start.
Confirmed team and leaders for the 2026 Vuelta a España 2026 Vuelta a España start list