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Tadej Pogacar will not compete in the upcoming Vuelta a España, his team announced on Tuesday, opting instead for a period of rest following his latest Tour de France triumph.
The UAE Team Emirates rider, who claimed his fourth Tour de France title on Sunday, will sit out the Spanish Grand Tour, which starts on 23 August in Turin. In a statement, the team confirmed that the 26-year-old Slovenian would be taking a “well-earned break” after dominating this year’s Tour.
“After such a demanding Tour, we decided it was best to take a break,” Pogacar said. “The Vuelta is, of course, a race I would dearly love to return to. I have fantastic memories there from 2019, but now the body is telling me to rest.”
Pogacar, who also won the Tour de France in 2020, 2021 and 2024, has not added the Vuelta to his Grand Tour collection. His only appearance in the event came in 2019, when he finished third overall.
The Slovenian star is set to return to racing in September at the Canadian one-day events in Quebec and Montreal, which take place just before the World Championships in Rwanda.
“I’m excited to go back to Canada; the races are tough but beautiful, and they fit my style well,” he said. “I’ll be aiming to be back racing well again for that part of the season and for the World Championships especially.”
Pogacar made his Giro d’Italia debut last year and won the event, leaving only the Vuelta missing from his Grand Tour victories.
This year’s Vuelta a España concludes in Madrid on 14 September.
