UAE Team Emirates-XRG have announced that Tadej Pogačar will not race the Vuelta a España after winning a fourth Tour de France, with João Almeida and Juan Ayuso set to start as co-leaders when the final Grand Tour of 2025 begins in Italy on August 23.
Pogačar will take a break until the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in September, before he defends his rainbow jersey in Rwanda later that month and possibly bids for a fifth Il Lombardia title in a row to close out another historic season.
"After such a demanding Tour, we decided it was best to take a break. The Vuelta is of course a race I would dearly love to return to," said Pogačar in the team's announcement on Tuesday.
"I have fantastic memories there from 2019, but now the body is telling me to rest. I’m excited to go back to Canada; the races are tough but beautiful, and they fit my style well. I’ll be aiming to be back racing well again for that part of the season and for the World Championships, especially."
UAE confirmed that Pogačar was due to race the Vuelta, as was planned back in December, but the toll taken on him by the 2025 Tour, both physically and mentally, has led them to prioritise rest ahead of his late-season goals.
"The idea this year was for Tadej to return to the Vuelta, but the season has been a long one for him," said UAE Sports Manager Matxin Fernández.
"We spoke and agreed that the best thing for him now is to take a good rest and build up to his final season goals."
Despite Pogačar's absence, UAE will still have one of the strongest teams at the Vuelta, which kicks off in Turin next month, with Almeida and Ayuso both arriving after abandoning their first Grand Tours of the season early at the Tour and Giro, respectively.
A high-speed crash on stage 7 of the Tour saw Pogačar lose his key mountain supporter Almeida two days later, but he will now get the chance to spearhead a GC-focused squad against the likes of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) as he returns from injury.
"It’s a special feeling to start the Vuelta as team leader, especially with the form I’ve shown this season," said Almeida.
"The recovery from the Tour crash has been smooth and my sensations in training have been good. We have a strong group around us, and I believe we can fight for something big."
Ayuso will be the co-leader at his home Grand Tour, having finished third and fourth there previously in his career. There has been speculation that he wants to leave the Emirati squad but with his contract running until 2029, team CEO Mauro Gianetti told Cyclingnews he would remain a UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider for the future.
Ayuso left the Giro after struggling with a knee injury made worse by a crash on the gravel stage, with top young prospect Isaac del Toro stepping up and only missing out on overall victory on the penultimate stage to Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Ayuso gets a second chance at co-leadership next month.
"The Vuelta is a very special race for me, my home race. I’ve been training well, I’m feeling good, and I’m focused 100% on doing a good race for the team," he said.
"It’s always an honour to race on home roads, and I’ll give everything to make it count — whether it’s helping the team or going for a result myself. Spain always brings out something extra in me."
The pair will be supported by a strong squad in pursuit of the red jersey, with Mikkel Bjerg, Felix Großschartner, Domen Novak, Ivo Oliveira, Marc Soler, and Jay Vine named in the team's line-up.
The Vuelta will see the return of the UAE-Visma Grand Tour rivalry once again, as they battle it out for the third and final Grand Tour of the year. Jonas Vingegaard is expected to ride the Vuelta, with Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss also expected to ride.
"We’re going into the Vuelta España with a clear plan built around João and Juan," added Matxin Fernández. "Both are proven GC contenders and complement each other well. The team around them brings depth and experience that will be key in the mountains and time trials."
