Did Pogačar Sandbag the 2026 Tour? Bruyneel's Insider Report Says He Was Saving Energy for the Vuelta

Bruyneel noted that Pogačar employed a similar strategy during the Giro d'Italia, where he held back while preparing for the Tour . The pattern suggests a rider who treats Grand Tours as stepping stones toward larger season objectives.

The Vuelta Goal: Becoming the Ninth Rider to Win All Three Grand Tours

Pogačar confirmed he will race the 2026 Vuelta a España, with the race starting on August 22 in Monaco . This will be his first appearance in the Spanish Grand Tour since his Grand Tour debut in 2019 .

He has already won the 2024 Giro d'Italia by nearly 10 minutes and the 2025 and 2026 Tours de France. Victory in Spain would make him only the ninth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours, joining a legendary list: Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome, and Jonas Vingegaard (who achieved the feat by winning the 2026 Giro d'Italia) .

Should Pogačar win the Vuelta, he would also become only the fourth rider in history to win the Tour and Vuelta in the same calendar year, joining Anquetil, Hinault, and Froome .

2026 Vuelta Route Highlights: Front-Loaded Climbing Suits Pogačar

The 2026 Vuelta a España route offers several features that play to Pogačar's strengths :

• Stage 1 (August 22): 9.4 km individual time trial in Monaco—a chance to establish an early lead
• Stages 2-3: Hilly and medium-mountain stages through southern France toward Andorra
• Stage 4 (August 25): 104.9 km mountain stage in Andorra with 3,009m of elevation gain—a brutally early test
• Stages 5-8: Transition stages returning to Spain through Falset, Roquetes, and Valencia
• Stages 9+: The race heads south toward decisive mountain finishes, culminating in Granada on September 13

The route is notably front-loaded with climbing, particularly the Andorra stage on day 4, which rewards aggressive climbing early in the race.

Juan Ayuso's Decision to Skip the Vuelta

Spanish star Juan Ayuso will not race the 2026 Vuelta a España . After a difficult Tour de France where he finished 7th overall after fighting for the podium in the first two weeks, the Lidl-Trek rider has opted for a different program :

• Return to racing in Canada at the WorldTour classics
• Target the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal
• Make his Monument debut at Il Lombardia

This leaves Lidl-Trek's Vuelta leadership to Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose instead . Ayuso's absence removes a significant Spanish contender from his home Grand Tour.

Bruyneel's Assessment: Pogačar's Rivals and Risks

Bruyneel has offered several observations about Pogačar's Vuelta prospects:

• Team fragility concerns: Bruyneel warned that UAE looked "fragile as a team" in the final stretch of the Tour, noting they were overextended chasing the team classification. He cautioned that "things like that can backfire" .
• Dominance predicted: With the insider confirmation that Pogačar was holding back during the Tour, Bruyneel said his Vuelta performance "makes perfect sense" as the Slovenian will arrive fresher than expected .
• World Championship trade-off: Bruyneel noted the risk that the Giro-Tour-Vuelta triple could cost Pogačar at the World Championships in Montreal, implying the Vuelta effort may leave him fatigued for the one-day title race .

Several big names are not expected to start the Vuelta: Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard are all unlikely to line up . Primož Roglič and others may provide competition, but Bruyneel's core thesis is that a fresher-than-expected Pogačar with Vuelta-specific preparation enters the race as the heavy favorite.