Pogacar targets Vuelta a España to complete Grand Tour collection

Tadej Pogacar has set his sights on winning the Vuelta a España, a major cycling race he has yet to conquer. The Slovenian star, already a five-time winner of the Tour de France and a victor of the Giro d'Italia, views completing the Grand Tour set as a significant career goal.

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It is a goal that I have yet to fulfill in my career, so I will do my best to win.

"It is a goal that I have yet to fulfill in my career, so I will do my best to win," Pogacar told cyclingnews.com. He added that winning all three Grand Tours has been a long-held dream.

Pogacar recently secured his fifth Tour de France title less than a month ago. Despite the short turnaround, he feels recovered and noted the race's proximity to his home in Monaco. This year's Vuelta will not feature last year's champion, Jonas Vingegaard, who withdrew from the Tour de France after a crash.

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Winning all three grand tours has been a big goal and a dream for me for several years.

Despite the absence of key rivals, Pogacar anticipates a challenging competition. "It will be a very hard race. I expect everyone who is here to be in top form, and there are some really good riders with us. It is never easy," he stated. The race begins with a 9.4-kilometer individual time trial in Monaco.

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It will be a very hard race. I expect that everyone who is here is in top form, and there are some really good riders with us. It is never easy.