Pogacar targets Vuelta a Espana win to complete Grand Tour hat-trick

Tadej Pogacar has set his sights on winning the Vuelta a Espana, a race he hasn't competed in since 2019, to achieve a lifelong "big dream" of conquering all three Grand Tours. The Slovenian star, who recently secured his fifth Tour de France title and won the Giro d'Italia in 2024, views the Vuelta as the final piece in his Grand Tour puzzle.

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It's been quite a short time after the Tour de France to come here, but I had enough time to recover, and this starts close to my home. I'm looking forward to it, it is one missing goal from my career, so I will give my best to try and win.

Victory in the Spanish race would place Pogacar among an elite group of cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, a feat rival Jonas Vingegaard accomplished earlier this year. "It is one missing goal from my career, so I will give my best to try and win," Pogacar told reporters. He emphasized that winning all three tours has been a significant ambition for several years.

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For me to win all three Grand Tours has been a big goal and dream for a few years now.

However, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider acknowledged the challenge of competing in another Grand Tour so soon after the Tour de France. He plans to assess his form during the initial stages of the Vuelta, which starts near his home. "I need to race smart and then see in the first few stages how we approach it," he stated, mindful of preserving his energy for subsequent major events, including the World Championships, European Championships, and Il Lombardia. Pogacar, who finished third in his only previous Vuelta appearance, aims to avoid ending the race completely exhausted.

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I will have to see my shape in the first few stages and always thinking about the three big races afterwards. I shouldn't end this race completely destroyed. I need to race smart and then see in the first few stages how we approach it.