Steven Kruijswijk's final Vuelta: Monaco, Van Aert, Pogacar and life beyond the peloton

Steven Kruijswijk has spent 17 years racing at the highest level of professional cycling. Now, with one final Grand Tour ahead of him, the Dutchman is preparing to bring his career to a fitting close in Monaco.

Kruijswijk has spent the entirety of that career with Visma | Lease a Bike and its various iterations, dating back to Rabobank in 2010.

During that time, the now 39-year-old evolved from a promising young Dutch climber into a bona fide Grand Tour contender, culminating in a third-place finish at the Tour de France in 2019. 

In the twilight of his career, Kruijswijk has transitioned into a dependable, experienced and loyal teammate, and recently confirmed that he will retire at the end of the 2026 season, drawing to a close a distinguished career.

Before then, the Dutchman will embark on one final three-week adventure at the upcoming Vuelta a España, which kicks off on August 22. 

Just over a week out from the Gran Salida in Monaco, Domestique spoke to Kruijswijk ahead of his eighth appearance at the Spanish Grand Tour, a race in which he finished fourth in 2018 and helped Primož Roglič win in 2019 and 2021.

For the 39-year-old, the 2026 Vuelta will mark the 24th and final Grand Tour of his career, a tally only bettered in the current WorldTour peloton by Mikel Landa (25).

Kruijswijk admitted the build-up has given him a feeling similar to the one he experienced before his first three-week race, the 2010 Giro d'Italia, where he lined up as a fresh-faced 22-year-old in the bright orange colours of Rabobank.

"It's maybe with the same feeling as I had when I started as a professional, you know?" Kruijswijk told Domestique.

"You're looking forward to the first race you do, and now it's the other way around. It's the last race I'll do as a professional. So it's a good feeling, but also a strange feeling."

There is an added layer of significance with the race kicking off in Monaco, where Kruijswijk has been a long-term resident with his family. The opening stage will be a 9.4km individual time trial along roads he knows well, adding to the anticipation. 

"When I heard last year the Vuelta would start in Monaco, I said that would be the perfect moment for me, as a rider, to have my last race there," he said. 

"A nice opportunity, close to my family. We have been living here for ten years in the area, in Monaco."

With his final Grand Tour on the horizon, Kruijswijk feels in good shape, following a solid block of training and successful preparation races at the Clásica San Sebastián and Vuelta a Burgos.

"I'm feeling pretty well. I had a good preparation as well in the months of June and July, towards these races."

In Burgos, Visma enjoyed plenty of success, with Matthew Brennan scoring two stage victories. The 21-year-old British talent is set to join Kruijswijk in Spain for his Grand Tour debut. 

"In Burgos, we went there with a few guys who will go to the Vuelta, so it was good racing and to get back into the routine."

"Also, the heat there was already like temperatures of 40 degrees, so it was good to adapt, and we had some nice successes with Matthew [Brennan]."

With several less experienced riders in the Visma squad, Kruijswijk intends to use his vast Grand Tour wisdom to help guide them through three weeks of racing.

"My main goal will be helping the guys get stage victories and achieve a good result in the GC, being supportive in any way I can," he said. 

"We have some experience, myself of course, but also with Wout [van Aert] there. And a few guys will be doing their first Grand Tour, so I’d like to share my experience."

"Especially the young guys, who sometimes are a bit excited, maybe going too much into details. In the end, it’s a long race. It’s three weeks, and especially with the heat, it takes a lot out of you. I hope I can help the guys stay calm, do the right things, make the right choices, and give them confidence in the race."

Kruijswijk will have one of Visma's biggest stars alongside him at the Vuelta in Wout van Aert. The Belgian missed the Tour de France after sustaining an elbow injury in a crash suffered just before the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. 

This will be the sixth Grand Tour the pair have raced together since Van Aert joined the Dutch team in 2019, with the 2025 Giro d'Italia their most recent outing.

The 2019 Tour saw Van Aert claim his first stage win on debut in Albi in a reduced sprint after crosswinds derailed the peloton, while Kruijswijk navigated the chaos on his way to the final podium in Paris.

"I’m happy I can race with him... I think he’s one of the best leaders in the team. Making the results as he can, at the moments he wants to," said Kruijswijk.

"But also as a teammate, we’ve seen that earlier in his career, he’s never shy of putting work in for the team, and I think that makes him a really great leader."

Beyond his selflessness despite his star power, Van Aert’s ability to keep morale high and push through setbacks is another quality that sets the Belgian apart, according to Kruijswijk. 

"He’s approachable; he’s always keeping the morale high in the team and always looking for opportunities. This year, he won Paris-Roubaix. He was chasing this forever, and then you see how determined he is to really go for it."

"He has the mentality of never giving up, and I think he’s a big example for a lot of riders."

Van Aert will not be the only galactico on the start line in Monaco, with Tadej Pogačar set to return to the Vuelta after a seven-year absence.

The world champion is the favourite to be wearing the race leader's red jersey when the Vuelta reaches Granada on September 13. 

Pogačar made his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta back in 2019, winning three stages and the youth classification on his way to third overall. 

Fresh from a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory, Pogačar now has the chance to join Kruijswijk's teammate Jonas Vingegaard as the ninth male rider to win all three Grand Tours, after the Dane completed the set at the Giro in May.

Kruijswijk acknowledged the prestige of having the world champion on the start line. 

"Yeah, to be honest, it’s great for the Vuelta to have him on the start line, of course. He’s the best rider at the moment in cycling.”

Pogačar’s ability to win on almost any terrain means there will be few stages where the rest of the peloton can be confident the world champion will not be a factor.

"Of course, he’s so versatile. He can take a lot of stages away from the bunch, because he can sprint, he can go uphill, the flat, TT. So, that makes him a great rider, and it’s hard to race against him," Kruijswijk said.

The challenge extends beyond Pogačar himself, with the strength of UAE Team Emirates-XRG allowing the team to control the race and pursue opportunities that might otherwise fall to other teams. 

"Especially if you look back at the Tour de France, a lot of teams came back empty-handed, because UAE is so strong, they take the race by themselves, and they chase every opportunity."

Even in the absence of the world champion at last year’s Vuelta, the Emirati team took seven stage wins.

The hope is that Pogačar will have one eye on the World Championships, which take place in Montreal, Canada, just two weeks after the Vuelta, and thus potentially leave something in reserve during the Spanish Grand Tour.

"Sometimes you have to come up with a plan, and hopefully Tadej will focus on the GC, maybe with a bit in the back of his mind the Worlds. So maybe he keeps something left for that.”

Visma have hardly lacked success themselves this season, with seven Grand Tour stage wins, overall victory at the Giro, and Van Aert's victory over Pogačar at Paris-Roubaix.

"We have to cope with it and have to look for our opportunities... Wout beat him this year [at Paris-Roubaix], as one of the only guys to do it. So for sure, there will be a lot to gain for us as well."

With 21 stages and 3,275km still separating Kruijswijk from the finish in Granada, the Dutchman already has one eye on a future within the sport.

Before that, there will be time to enjoy life away from the demands of the peloton, particularly with his family. 

For the first time in almost two decades, his winter will not be dominated by training and preparation for another season.

"I’m gonna take some time off, not having the idea I have to prepare for next winter, next season," he said. 

"That will be maybe a relief also for the family, to join them on occasions where before I couldn’t, especially wintertime. So I think we’re gonna do some things we never did before in winter, like skiing and that kind of stuff."

Kruijswijk revealed that he and his manager are already planning how to remain involved in the sport, with a particular interest in helping riders navigate the financial side of their careers.

"In the long term, I’m looking into it now, especially what I want to do. We’ve made a plan, and we're thinking of going into the financial side of the sport and focusing more on the athletes themselves."

Kruijswijk wants to help riders become more aware of the financial decisions that come with a professional career, from managing contracts and investments to preparing for the day when their racing careers inevitably come to an end.

"I had a career of 17 years, but it can also be 10 years, and after that career, yeah, it’s a whole new life again."

"So we want to prepare them, also financially, be smart with their investments, their assets, the big contracts, and what to do in the beginning stages of their contracts."

"We’re more thinking of the financial side of the athletes, and to help them, provide them with some opportunities. They don’t want to focus on it themselves, but, yeah, they need to for the end of their careers."

For now, though, there is still one final Grand Tour to race. Kruijswijk will line up in Monaco with a wealth of experience, an opportunity to share his wisdom, and a chance to savour every moment of the final three weeks of a stellar 17-year professional career.