Tadej Pogačar is unlikely to ride the Vuelta a España in 2026 and attempt to complete the set of Grand Tours, his team's sports manager has said.
Speaking to Italian outlet SpazioCiclismo, Joxean Fernández Matxin said that the Vuelta was "not the most feasible option, considering the athlete's physiology, in relation to the objectives".
Instead, everything is centred around a fifth Tour de France victory, which would put Pogačar on the same level as Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Induráin and Jacques Anquetil. Pogačar has already won a Giro d'Italia, so the Vuelta remains as one of the biggest races he is yet to claim.
"Next year, Tadej could win the fifth Tour de France of his career, making history in that respect," Matxin said. "We're moving in that direction. We're analysing the rest of the calendar. I'm currently choosing which races we'll do as a team. Then we'll appoint the captains for the various races and ensure equal distribution among the riders.
"We have an idea in mind, but we need to integrate it with the calendar and put it into practice. But it's clear that the Tour de France is the most important race in the world, I'm not denying that."
Therefore, with the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal in mind too – with Pogačar looking to defend his world title for a second time – a tilt at the Vuelta seems unlikely.
"It's a goal we'd like to achieve, sooner or later, without a doubt," Matxin explained. "But with the current calendar, if you want to race the Tour, the Vuelta, and then the World Championships, you have to spend four months away from home and be at your peak for a very long time. Right now, it's not the most feasible option, considering the athlete's physiology, in relation to the objectives.
"If you're interested in the World Championships, it means doing a period of preparation at altitude before the Tour, between the months of May and June, but that would mean missing out on Liège[-Bastogne-Liège] and other races."
While Pogačar has won so much, including 20 races this year, there remain historic events yet to claim; along with the Vuelta, there is Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de Suisse, Tour de Romandie, and Itzulia Basque Country.
"You can't think of starting a season, in terms of races, with the Tour de France," Matxin added. "So, Tadej would have to race in April, May, June, July, August, September, and October. That's too long to maintain the right condition. We'll have to study a few things in the coming days.
"It's more feasible to do the Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double, because there's an interim period of almost five weeks between the two races."
