'We will see on Monday' - Tadej Pogačar teases Vuelta a España decision announcement as he wins home criterium in Komenda

After winning the Tour de France for a record-equalling fifth time, the biggest question hanging over the rest of Tadej Pogačar’s season is whether or not he will race La Vuelta a España later this month.

Speaking at his own post-Tour criterium in his hometown of Komenda - which he won - the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider suggested that an announcement on his participation in the third Grand Tour of the year would be made on Monday.

Asked by journalists ahead of the event whether he would line up in Monaco on the 22nd of August, Pogačar quipped: “What do they collect there? Little bulls?”

“Maybe. We will see. We will see on Monday,” he said, according to RTVSLO.

Should he race the Vuelta, it would be his first time at the race since he burst onto the podium in 2019 on his Grand Tour debut at the age of 19, winning three stages.

If he were to win the race, Pogačar would become just the fourth man to win the Tour de France and Vuelta a España in the same season, joining Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Chris Froome. Froome is the only rider to have accomplished the feat with the Vuelta in its current post-Tour slot. He would also join rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the select club of riders to win all three Grand Tours during his career.

Pogačar also fended off questions on the subject of La Vuelta during the Tour de France, which became particularly difficult when Prince Albert of Monaco told L’Equipe that "Tadej Pogačar said he would be at the start, so we'll see”.

When asked by the media at the Tour, Pogačar said: “If the Prince said it, there's a high chance."

Speaking to Cyclingnews during the Tour, Pogačar’s team boss Mauro Gianetti said that the team would “make that decision after the Tour."

Discussions are said to have taken place this week between Pogačar and team management to make that final decision.

Pogačar's post-Tour week

Alongside conversations about La Vuelta, Pogačar has spent time resting at home in Slovenia since winning his fifth Tour de France, gearing up for the Tadej Pogačar Criterium in Komenda, which is enjoying its eighth edition.

He received a celebratory welcome home in Komenda on Thursday evening, hosting a press conference and entertaining the large gathered crowd with his unicycle skills.

On Friday evening, he lined up to race alongside UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates Isaac del Toro, Felix Großschartner and Tim Wellens, as well as several other professionals and friends. The riders raced 35 laps of a 980-metre circuit around Komenda.

The three-day event continued with a family day on Saturday before Sunday’s race up the Krvavec climb, in which Pogačar will set off last, attempting to catch 1,177 riders ahead of him. The event is run in aid of the Tadej Pogačar foundation.

Speaking to the media, Pogačar talked about the challenges of racing the Tour and his need for recovery after spending a month in France.

“You somehow have to switch off, reset and give yourself at least a week after the Tour before you truly recover and return to reality,” he said.

“You spend a month in France, racing and living entirely inside that bubble. Before that, you also spend a month at a training camp. It all adds up, and when you finally return home, it can be quite a shock.”