'Unfinished business' – Vuelta return more likely for Tadej Pogačar in 2027 than Giro, says agent Carera

Tadej Pogačar's agent said the sport's top rider has "unfinished business" with the Vuelta a España after crashing out while leading the race on stage 8 back in August, making a return in 2027 to the Spanish Grand Tour look more likely.

While no confirmation of Pogačar's racing schedule will be announced until the team's training camp media day in December, his agent, Alex Carera, has pointed to an immediate return after a high-speed crash prevented him from completing the set of Grand Tour GC wins. Having suffered fractures to his collarbone and neck, and a concussion, Pogačar's season came to an abrupt end.

The route for the Giro will be announced on November 3, with the Grande Partenza in Trieste expected to venture into Slovenia. Even considering that, Carera was of the belief that the Vuelta will be prioritised, having already won the pink jersey in 2024.

"Tadej clearly has unfinished business with the Vuelta, and he doesn't like having unfinished business," said Carera on RAI programme 'RadioCorsa'.

"However, the final decision on which stage races he'll compete in 2027 will be made in December, when he'll be in the United Arab Emirates with the team for a collective training period.

"Tadej will sit down with all the UAE sports directors, with general director Mauro Gianetti and technical director Joxean Matxin Fernandez. That will be the moment when it will be decided which race he will compete in in 2027. Then, if I had to make a prediction, the chances of him returning to the Vuelta a España are higher than those of him starting the Giro d'Italia."

Speaking at a press conference ahead of a charity golf event in Slovenia earlier this month, Pogačar pointed to a similar eventuality, even if the Giro might be his actual preference.

"The desire for next year would of course be the World Championships combined with the Tour and the Vuelta," said Pogačar.

"If the Vuelta somehow didn't work out this year... Even if I would rather go to the Giro, I will have to check off the Vuelta at some point. I think that will be the goal for next year."

Pogačar will have just five days to recover from returning to the Worlds in France before the start of the Vuelta on September 4 – moved back to accommodate the early 'super' Worlds in Haute-Savoie – and with such a back-loaded calendar, appearances in the early season look unlikely.

There is talk of him making a first return to the Tour Down Under in January since his WorldTour debut seven years ago, with race director Stuart O’Grady admitting last week that he is "doing everything" to try and get Pogačar to start in Australia. But this would mark a change from his past few seasons, which have mostly either started as late as March or at the UAE Tour in mid-February.

What Classics and Monuments he returns to in 2027 also remains unknown before December, but the Worlds and the Tour – where he will be chasing a record sixth yellow jersey – look all but certain.

Carera also commented on the route, which was revealed on October 22 in Paris, after there was some talk of it resembling an 'Anti-Pogačar' route, with the duo of 30km+ time trials being more in favour of his closest competitor from this past season, Remco Evenepoel.

"I don't know if you can call the TDF 'anti-Pogačar'," Carera said.

"I'll just say one thing: if every rider interviewed gets asked about Pogačar, if organizers are changing their routes to make things interesting against Tadej, and if sponsors keep referring to him, it means he matters enormously to cycling. Whether these time trials will put him in difficulty or not, we'll see. He's still the man to beat."

The road season might be at an end, but Cyclingnews isn't slowing down. Subscribe for unlimited access to our comprehensive news coverage, industry-leading CN Labs testing, expert columnists, and so much more. Plus, the Cyclingnews app means you can stay up-to-date wherever you go! Join today.