Who will challenge Pogacar at the Vuelta a España?

Tadej Pogacar stands as the dominant favorite for the 81st edition of the Vuelta a España, which commences this Saturday in Monaco. The Slovenian cyclist, already a two-time world champion, is poised to join an elite club of eight riders who have won all three Grand Tours, with a victory in Granada on September 13th.

Pogacar, 27, is on a quest for historical achievements, solidifying his status as arguably the greatest cyclist ever. His return to the Vuelta after a seven-year hiatus marks a significant moment. In 2019, he secured third place overall and three stage wins. Since then, his career has been adorned with five Tour de France titles, one Giro d'Italia, multiple one-day classics, and two World Championships, accumulating an astonishing 127 victories.

With an insatiable ambition, Pogacar's presence looms large over his rivals. Notably absent are his recent major competitors: Jonas Vingegaard, sidelined after a Tour de France crash; Remco Evenepoel, the second-place finisher in Paris; and rising French star Paul Seixas. This absence elevates the challenge for riders like Ecuador's Richard Carapaz, who finished eighth in the Tour and claimed two stages and the mountains classification. Carapaz's recent second place in the Clásica de San Sebastián indicates strong current form.

Other contenders include Austria's Felix Gall, the Giro d'Italia runner-up and recent winner of the Vuelta a Burgos, who is expected to be a dangerous rival on the Vuelta's demanding mountain stages. Denmark's Mattias Skjelmose, leading Lidl-Trek in the absence of Juan Ayuso, also presents a significant threat after his sixth-place finish at the Tour de France. Even four-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic, a record holder in the event, returns for Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe, though his preparation was disrupted by a training accident in late July.

Spanish hopes rest on Movistar's Enric Mas, a three-time Vuelta runner-up, and Carlos Rodríguez, who will share leadership duties at Ineos with Britain's Oscar Onley. Mikel Landa also enters the race with renewed energy, having skipped the Tour de France. Pogacar's participation, however, casts a long shadow, making him the rider to beat in what is anticipated to be one of the toughest editions of the Vuelta in history.