‘Racing bikes is not the number one priority’ – Tadej Pogačar comments on Vuelta a España protests and chances of his return to Spanish Grand Tour

The Vuelta a España remains one of the few races that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) hasn’t won yet, but he’s suggested how a change to the calendar could speed up the process of him returning to the Spanish Grand Tour, which he podiumed on debut six years ago.

Taking place in September since it moved 30 years ago, the Vuelta arrives after the Tour de France and usually before the World Championships, making it a difficult goal for Pogačar to target as he searches for a fifth Tour and third rainbow jersey in succession in 2026.

Before 1995, the Vuelta used to run at a similar time to the Giro d’Italia around May, but the Slovenian thinks a complete swap could be beneficial not only to him, but also when it comes to the racing conditions. Recent years have seen extreme heat in Spain at times significantly affecting the riders, but also extreme cold, wet and snow sometimes getting in the way of the Giro’s planned route – such as the 16th stage of Pogačar’s victory in 2024.

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Pogačar is currently in Gran Canaria for the 365 event and to ride Sunday’s Gran Fondo Pico de las Nieves as part of the island’s Bike Week. After sitting down for breakfast with partner and fellow pro rider Urška Žigart, the Slovenian had time for a short press moment, where unsurprisingly, the Vuelta was a hot topic for the Spanish journalists.

“It’s always hard to combine with the Tour and Vuelta. I always say if they switch with Giro, Vuelta and Giro would be much better in terms of weather and riders going to each race,” said Pogačar to Cyclingnews and a small group of media.

“But one day I will have to do Vuelta, and when this day comes, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Pogačar hasn’t been at the Vuelta since 2019 when he announced himself to the Grand Tour stage with three stage wins and a podium finish behind compatriot Primož Roglič and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde.

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While he was heavily rumoured to race it in 2025, he opted against doing it after the Tour and instead returned at the Canadian duo of races in Québec and Montreal, before defending his world title in Rwanda.

This meant he missed the chaos of the protests in Spain that saw several stages disrupted and the finale in Madrid cancelled, as pro-Palestine protesters contested the participation of Israel-Premier Tech, who have now rebranded as the NSN Cycling Team.

In spite of this change, officials in the Canary Islands were still not convinced that the team’s connections with its Israeli backer had been completely broken. As a result, Spanish newspaper AS reported last week how the Canaries were not prepared to host the 2026 race’s finale as was heavily rumoured.

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“I mean, it’s complicated, no, very complicated,” said Pogačar as he commented on the events from the Vuelta and the cancellation of a long-awaited Vuelta return to the Canaries.

“I think racing bikes is not the number one priority, so obviously, you understand everybody in the situation. And I don’t know, if the Vuelta cannot come to Gran Canaria, it’s a shame, but it would be really nice to finish the race here. But if it’s not possible. It’s not possible.”

Though having trained here throughout the week since arriving on Monday, he could see how Gran Canaria could be utilised for races in future: “It’s possible, you could do a few very good stages here in Gran Canaria in a Grand Tour. Obviously, not many, but you could do three, four stages in a Grand Tour easily.”

He described it as a “training paradise” as he spoke on Friday morning, making it the start of his pre-season training and build-up to the 2026 season. “My main goal is to explore Gran Canaria. It’s my first time here, and also to really restart proper training with long hours on the bike and try to build some base training.”

While races such as Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France are already confirmed on his schedule for 2026, his schedule and first race day for 2026 will be revealed officially at UAE’s training camp media day in December. While racing the Vuelta seems unlikely next year, he will definitely be back to try and complete the Grand Tour set to add to his one Giro title and four Tour yellow jerseys before his career is up.