Alberto Contador's Vuelta Return: UAE Prepares for La Vuelta Tilt

What happened?

Alberto Contador's UAE team has been preparing for the 2026 La Vuelta, with Tadej Pogacar aiming to win the Spanish Grand Tour after his Tour de France victory. According to team performance director Jeroen Swart, the team's strategy focuses on maintaining Pogacar's mental freshness and interest in racing.

Why it matters for Alberto Contador

Pogacar's Vuelta return could've happened in 2025, but a large amount of fatigue and a small knee injury saw the World Champion take time off and not jeopardize his run-in to the World Championships. Without Jonas Vingegaard at the start line, the 2026 edition also felt like a more manageable race to win.

What comes next?

The hot weather and the many mountainous and hilly days that every year marks the course of the Spanish Grand Tour make it no easy task for any rider. But the built-up fatigue from his expected schedule that should still include the World Championships and Il Lombardia is no concern.

Pogacar's physical preparation was focused on July, as it should be, in that sense the Vuelta comes simply as an add-on. The calendar definitely took into account the potential of doing the Vuelta and would have been purposefully less arduous to keep him mentally fresh and interested.

Above many things, UAE try to maintain Pogacar's mental health and interest in racing. The one-day races throughout the spring were partially planned around a lot of time spent at home and away from the spotlight, media duties, and podium celebrations - and that has seemingly been achieved.

After the Tour, Pogacar spent some days at home, at his home event in Slovenia, and even on the side of the road at the Tour de France Femmes - cheering on his fiancée Urska Zigart. Whilst regular riders would ordinarily suffer from that lack of specific focus on a return to racing at La Vuelta, Pogacar might have the space to get away with it.

There's not a lot of time, so there's not a lot you can do, it's pretty straightforward. But we omitted the altitude training, says Swart. Whilst there could be time for it, an altitude camp between the two races could later on lead to mental fatigue that Pogacar could later pay for.

Key Takeaways:

• Tadej Pogacar aims to win the 2026 La Vuelta after his Tour de France victory.
• The UAE team's strategy focuses on maintaining Pogacar's mental freshness and interest in racing.
• Pogacar's physical preparation was focused on July, with the Vuelta coming as an add-on.
• The team omitted altitude training to avoid mental fatigue.

Stats Table:

Key Names and Numbers:

• Tadej Pogacar: World Champion and UAE team rider
• Jeroen Swart: UAE team performance director
• 2026 La Vuelta: Spanish Grand Tour
• 2025 Tour de France: Pogacar's previous Tour de France victory

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