Fresh from his fifth Tour de France win, the Slovenian rider returns to the Spanish Grand Tour seven years

Tadej Pogačar will race the Vuelta a España, returning to Andorra seven years after his last appearance there during the 2019 edition.

UAE Team Emirates has confirmed the Slovenian rider's participation in the Spanish Grand Tour, which begins on 22 August in Monaco, where he resides. The race enters Andorra on stage four, a full day of racing on 25 August starting and finishing in Andorra la Vella.

Pogačar, who secured his fifth Tour de France title this year, had originally omitted the Vuelta from his schedule to focus on Canadian classics ahead of the World Championships in Montreal. The event concludes on 13 September. Now aiming for his first Vuelta victory, he would join the elite group of riders to win all three Grand Tours.

His previous Vuelta came in 2019, when the 20-year-old took third overall behind Primož Roglič and Alejandro Valverde. That year marked his first Grand Tour stage win, achieved in harsh weather at Cortals d'Encamp during Andorra's full stage.

The upcoming Andorra stage launches from Avinguda Tarragona in the capital, with a neutralised rollout along CG-1 toward Escaldes-Engordany and a rolling start at CG-2 near FEDA. The challenging profile features the Port d'Envalira climb to Pas de la Casa, a descent through the Envalira tunnel to Encamp, Collada de Beixalís toward Ordino, Coll d'Ordino, and a final ascent of Alt de la Comella from Escaldes-Engordany. The route then drops via Avinguda Borda Nova and CG-1 from the Prada Casadet roundabout to the finish near the Marginets roundabout.

This layout echoes the 2021 Tour de France stage finish there, won by Andorran resident Sepp Kuss, when Pogačar arrived in the yellow jersey—a race he went on to claim. He also competed in Andorra last year at the Cycling Masters. Andorra la Vella will host its 13th Vuelta start and seventh stage finish, the latest prior one in 2017 at Carrer Prat de la Creu, won by Vincenzo Nibali, following the previous day's conclusion in Font Romeu.

A competitive peloton includes Andorra-based riders Enric Mas (Movistar) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), with Sepp Kuss potentially joining after his Giro and Tour campaigns. UAE's João Almeida or Marc Soler may support, alongside Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Matthew Riccitello and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R), Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers), and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).