Pogacar said in quotes to AS, during UAE Team Emirates – XRG’s training camp in Gran Canaria: “I always say that if the Giro d’Italia and La Vuelta were swapped it would be much better, because of the weather conditions and because it would allow more riders to take part.”
Responding on X, Hansen wrote: “I’ve said this over the past years during the PCC and various other meetings. I was laughed at, but obviously they’ve never ridden the Giro in freezing rain and snow, or the Vuelta in scorching heat. That is the biggest problem in cycling, the tradition is holding the sport back.”
Hansen’s comment reflects a long-running theme inside the riders’ union, which he leads, regarding the physical demands created by extreme race conditions at both ends of the season.
Pogacar’s remarks prompt immediate reaction
Pogacar’s concerns relate to the long-standing challenge of targeting both the Tour de France and the Vuelta in the same year, something he has struggled to reconcile while aiming to complete his Grand Tour set in 2026.
His AS interview also included warm praise for Gran Canaria as a potential Vuelta host in future, though the island will not feature on the 2026 route.
Hansen’s intervention marks the strongest public alignment so far from a figure representing the riders’ collective interests.
A wider debate now opening up
With both one of the sport’s leading riders and the CPA president voicing similar concerns about the sequencing of the three-week races, the subject is likely to gain further attention, albeit it’s likely too late to affect the 2026 planning discussions.