Tadej Pogacar handed fresh Vuelta invitation after missing chance to complete Grand Tour set

Tadej Pogačar may have left the 2026 Vuelta a España earlier than anyone expected, but race director Javier Guillén is already hoping his unfinished business will bring him back.

Pogačar returned to the Spanish Grand Tour this year for the first time since his breakthrough appearance in 2019 and quickly took control of the race. Three stage victories followed before his campaign came to an abrupt end while he was firmly in command of the general classification.

His departure opened up the battle for the overall victory, with Enric Mas eventually taking a hugely popular home win ahead of Primož Roglič and Felix Gall.

For Guillén, however, the manner of Pogačar's exit could ultimately become the strongest argument for another appearance.

“I think he has unfinished business with the Vuelta,” Guillén told AS after the race.

The Slovenian has already won the Tour de France five times and added the Giro d'Italia to his palmarès, leaving the Vuelta as the only Grand Tour missing from his collection.

Guillén believes Pogačar saw enough during his shortened stay in Spain to consider another attempt.

He pointed not only to the reception the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader received from spectators, but also to the aggressive racing offered by the route.

“He saw the response from the public and he also saw that he can enjoy racing the type of stages that we design,” Guillén said. “Hopefully he can come back and remove that thorn by trying to win the Vuelta again.”

Pogačar's withdrawal was one of several major turning points in an edition that repeatedly forced organisers to adapt.

A violent hailstorm at Font Romeu caused one stage to be stopped, while extreme temperatures led to another being shortened, something that had never previously happened at the Vuelta because of heat.

Guillén defended both decisions but warned against allowing shortened stages to become a routine answer whenever conditions become difficult.

“The most important thing for us is rider safety,” he said. “On very hot days you also have to listen to the riders. But I am not in favour of shortening stages and we cannot get used to that type of solution. We have to look for other options.”

Pogačar’s exit left Mas in the red jersey, with Roglič and Gall still in contention behind him. The Spaniard continued to race aggressively as the Vuelta headed into its final days.

Guillén was particularly pleased that the overall victory was still up for grabs going into the penultimate stage over the Collado del Alguacil, where the gaps at the top of the classification could still have been overturned.

Mas eventually held on to become the first Spanish winner of the Vuelta in 12 years, although Guillén admitted there was one thing missing from the finale.

“It could hardly have ended better, but of course Tadej [Pogačar] had to leave for Enric [Mas] to take the red jersey,” he said.

“I would have liked Pogačar to still be there and for Mas, Roglič and Gall to put him under pressure,” Guillén added, conceding that such a scenario had looked increasingly difficult while Pogačar was still in the race.

Roglič also received special praise from the Vuelta director. The four time champion arrived at the race after crashing shortly before the start, yet still finished on the podium and remained in contention for a record fifth title until the final stages.

“Roglič also deserves our thanks for the commitment and honesty he showed,” Guillén said. “He had a crash shortly before the start and still came here and fought. That is why he finished on the podium and had the chance to fight for a fifth Vuelta right until the end.”

Beyond the battle for the overall victory, Guillén also highlighted one route experiment that exceeded his expectations: gravel.

The race had traditionally been reluctant to embrace sterrato, but its inclusion at El Bartolo produced one of the most memorable moments of the race as Mas chased down Pogačar.

Guillén admitted he had needed convincing by technical director Kiko García, but the outcome changed his view.

“I was never a fan of it, because I felt the philosophy and personality of the Vuelta went in a different direction,” he said. “But I have to thank Kiko García for his persistence because it was a huge success.”

Gravel will not become an annual feature, Guillén said, but the success of this year's experiment means it now has a place in the Vuelta's future.

The next edition will begin in Santiago de Compostela, marking a return to a Spanish Grand Départ after several starts outside the country. At least four stages are expected to take place in Galicia before the race moves elsewhere.

Guillén said much of the route has already been designed and promised an edition that will feel unmistakably like the Vuelta, including at least one summit finish never previously used by the race.

“There are several stages that I am really excited about,” he said. “It will be a Vuelta that attracts attention and, yes, there will be a new summit.”

Both Portugal and France are among the possibilities as organisers consider how to move away from Galicia.

“Starting from Galicia, going into Portugal is a possibility,” Guillén said. “And with us being in the north, entering France is also an option. I am not saying either will definitely happen.”

More foreign starts are also firmly on the table. While the 2027 race begins in Spain, Guillén expects the Vuelta to launch abroad again within the following three editions.

“We have projects to start outside Spain in the coming years,” he said. “This time we will start at home again, but over the next three years I can see one of those editions beginning outside our borders.”

For now, however, one name is likely to dominate the Vuelta’s wish list: Tadej Pogačar.