Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates squad have put an end to questions about the Slovenian riding the Vuelta a España, confirming that he will not ride a second Grand Tour in 2022 but instead focus on a series of one-day Classics and the World Championships in Australia.
The Vuelta a España had been pencilled in Pogačar's race programme this year by the UAE Team Emirates team management, with sports director Joxean Fernández Matxin saying prior to the Tour 'if all goes well, he'll be there.'
After finishing second behind Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France, Pogačar and the UAE Team Emirates said they would take a few days to decide on his race programme.
A post-Tour meeting was apparently held in Paris on Monday with the team now announcing Pogačar would ride a series of Classics rather than the three-week Vuelta a España that starts on Friday August 19.
UAE Team Emirates said Pogačar would ride the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa on Saturday July 30.
After taking part in Spain's top one-day Classic, Pogačar will then take a break for four weeks and return to racing at the GP Plouay in northern France. He will then travel to North American for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.
From Canada he will travel to Australia for the World Championships (September 19-25). Pogacar will end his 2022 season in Italy at the Giro dell'Emilia (October 1), Tre Valli Varesine (October 4) and Il Lombardia (October 8).
Before the Tour de France Pogačar had told Cyclingnews that he was eying the World Championships, saying: "A lot has happened this year already and we'll see."
"For now the only thing 100 per cent certain is the Tour de France and nothing else."
In an interview published with sports daily AS on Monday, Matxin hinted strongly at the switch in direction, saying: "that [the Vuelta] was the plan, but I have to sit down with him and talk it through first."
Pogačar last raced the Vuelta in 2019, where he took two stages, in Andorra and Sierra de Gredos, and finished third overall in what was his first Grand Tour.
Had he returned to the Vuelta, it would have been the first time Pogačar had done two Grand Tours in the same year. There were reports Pogačar would attempt the Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double in 2023 but that has still to be confirmed.
