Pogacar dismisses La Vuelta and his team supports him for a significant reason

The exhibition and double victory of Tadej Pogacar in the Giro and Tour made us dream of the possibility of seeing him in La Vuelta trying to achieve a triple that no cyclist has ever achieved in the history of this sport. But if the Slovenian had already said on more than one occasion that it was highly improbable, now it is his team that supports him with a strong reason.

Tadej Pogacar and UAE confirm that he will not be in La Vuelta 2024

Since Pantani did it in 1998, no one had won the Giro and Tour in the same season, so due to the form of the Slovenian and his spectacular way of competing, it was very easy to fall into the temptation of encouraging him to continue trying to break limits. But in current cycling, everything is well measured, long-term planning usually does not change based on emotions, and fortunately Pogacar, his team, and his surroundings are clear about it.

"I will not go to La Vuelta, although it is a race that I really like, I was there in 2019 and I have always wanted to return. But in my calendar, the priority is the Tour. Maybe next year I will focus on doing the Tour and La Vuelta", said the Slovenian this year and then added "This year there is a 99% chance that you will not see me in La Vuelta. For next year, there is a much higher probability that you will see me there."

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But if some saw a minimal opportunity in that remaining 1%, Joxesan Fernández Matxin, director of UAE, completely ruled it out for a logical and weighty reason.

"It would be something historic but it would be short-term and we believe we have a rider for a long time. If he did it, in less than a year he would do four Grand Tours (counting the 2025 Tour it would be 4 in less than 12 months) and it is not the best for the future or for his physiology."

The future of Tadej Pogacar is at stake and although the excitement suggests that he should try for a historic feat given his current state, the truth is that it would be a physiologically too risky bet. In addition, for months the Slovenian has had one of his main objectives in this year's World Championship and he reiterated it after winning the Tour: "Mathieu van der Poel looks good in the rainbow jersey, but I would like to take it off him."