Tadej Pogačar is one race away from completing one of cycling’s most prestigious achievements.
The five-time Tour de France champion returns to the Vuelta a España this weekend with the only Grand Tour title missing from his palmarès firmly in his sights.
Pogačar has already conquered the Giro d’Italia, winning Italy’s biggest stage race in 2024, and has now equalled the record for five Tour de France victories. A Vuelta triumph would make him just the ninth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours — the Giro, Tour and Vuelta.
But this is not simply another race for cycling’s biggest superstar.
It is a chance to close one of the few remaining gaps in an already extraordinary career.
Pogačar Returns to the Race That Got Away
The 27-year-old Slovenian has not competed in the Vuelta since his breakthrough appearance in 2019, when he announced himself as a Grand Tour force by finishing third overall and winning three stages.
Seven years later, he returns as the reigning Tour de France champion and one of the overwhelming favourites for the red jersey.
His objective is clear: win the Vuelta and complete the set.
The achievement would place Pogačar alongside cycling legends including Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome — plus Jonas Vingegaard, who became the eighth rider to complete the career Grand Tour set earlier this year.
This Is Not the Same as Winning the Three Grand Tours in One Year
There is an important distinction.
Pogačar is not attempting a Giro-Tour-Vuelta clean sweep in 2026. He previously told the UCI that winning each Grand Tour was a major long-term ambition, while winning all three in a single season was an entirely different and far more extreme challenge.
His 2026 campaign already includes a historic fifth Tour de France title. Now the Vuelta represents the final piece of his career Grand Tour puzzle.
And the timing could hardly be more dramatic.
A Brutal Vuelta Awaits
The 2026 Vuelta begins on August 22 in Monaco with a 9.4-kilometre individual time trial and concludes on September 13 in Granada, with the riders finishing in the shadow of the Alhambra.
The route is anything but forgiving.
More than 58,000 metres of elevation gain are packed into the race, making this one of the most mountainous Grand Tours in recent memory. The route features major summit finishes and climbs including Font Romeu, Alto de Aitana, Calar Alto, Sierra de La Pandera and Collado del Alguacil.
That could make the Vuelta particularly demanding for a rider arriving after a gruelling Tour de France campaign.
Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG performance team has already warned that even the Slovenian superstar will face a serious physical and tactical test in Spain.
The Rivals Won’t Simply Hand Him the Red Jersey
Pogačar enters the race as the headline favourite, but the field contains enough quality to make this far from a guaranteed victory.
Among the names expected to challenge near the top of the general classification are Primož Roglič, Richard Carapaz, Felix Gall, Oscar Onley and Enric Mas, while Wout van Aert adds another major threat to the race’s stage battles.
Roglič, in particular, brings enormous Vuelta pedigree. The Slovenian has won the race four times and is chasing another historic campaign, although questions remain over his condition following a recent crash.
The competition means Pogačar cannot simply rely on his reputation.
Three weeks of racing can turn on a single climb, a poorly timed attack, a crash, a mechanical problem or one bad day.
Why This Vuelta Could Define Pogačar’s Legacy
Pogačar has already built a résumé that places him among the defining riders of his generation.
He has five Tour de France titles, a Giro d’Italia victory and a remarkable collection of one-day race victories. His 2026 Tour campaign further strengthened that reputation, including a record-setting ascent of Alpe d’Huez during his run to the yellow jersey.
But the Vuelta remains unfinished business.
Winning it would give Pogačar something only a tiny group of riders have achieved: victories in all three Grand Tours.
And there is an intriguing piece of history attached to the race itself.
The 2026 Vuelta starts in Monaco — Pogačar’s home base — before heading through France and Andorra and eventually across Spain. The race then finishes in Granada, creating a spectacular bookend to a three-week challenge that could have enormous implications for Pogačar’s place in cycling history.
The Question Everyone Will Be Watching
The biggest question is no longer whether Pogačar is capable of winning the Vuelta.
It is whether he can produce another Grand Tour-winning performance after already completing an exhausting Tour de France campaign.
If he succeeds, Pogačar will not merely add another major trophy to his collection.
He will join an exclusive list of riders who have conquered cycling’s three Grand Tours.
And with the Vuelta starting in Monaco on Saturday, the countdown to the final missing piece of Pogačar’s Grand Tour legacy has officially begun.
One race. Three weeks. One missing title.
The question now is whether anyone in Spain can stop him.
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