Overview
- UAE Team Emirates announced on Monday that Tadej Pogacar will ride the Vuelta a España, formally confirming his entry for the race that starts on 22 August.
- The team named an eight‑rider squad to support him that includes Joao Almeida, Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Kevin Vermaerke, Domen Novak, Ivo Oliveira and Pablo Torres, who will make his Grand Tour debut on home roads.
- The 21‑stage route begins with a Monaco time trial, crosses France and Andorra and finishes in Granada on 13 September, with multiple high‑mountain tests expected to decide the general classification.
- Fresh from a record‑equalling fifth Tour de France, Pogacar enters the Vuelta as the clear favourite and could join the short list of riders who have won the Tour and Vuelta in the same year if he succeeds.
- The late‑season timing creates a tight turnaround before the World Championships in Montreal and raises questions about rider recovery, team roles and how Joao Almeida’s recent illness will shape his support duties.