Pogačar has just finished the 2026 Tour at the top of the general classification, securing his fifth yellow jersey. He has also already won the Giro d’Italia, leaving the Vuelta as the only Grand Tour missing from his collection.

That makes Spain look like the natural next challenge.

Winning would not simply add another trophy. It would complete the set and close one of the few remaining gaps in an extraordinary career.

Pogačar’s only Vuelta appearance came in 2019, when he was just 20 years old and making his Grand Tour debut.

He finished third overall and won three stages. Even then, he showed that the steep climbs and aggressive racing of the Vuelta suited him.

Seven years later, he would return as a far more complete rider.

So is the real question whether he can win—or simply whether he chooses to go back?

The Vuelta begins on 22 August and runs across 21 stages until 13 September, giving Pogačar only a short period to recover before facing another three-week race.

That matters.

A Grand Tour is not something he should start purely because history is available. Physical recovery, mental freshness and the rest of his season all have to be considered.

Would chasing red strengthen his legacy—or leave him running on empty?

Pogačar’s place among cycling’s greatest is already secure.

But winning all three Grand Tours would demonstrate another level of range. It would also turn his breakthrough performance from 2019 into a completed story.

He arrived at his first Vuelta as a young prospect.

He could return as the biggest rider in the sport.

If Pogačar feels properly recovered, he should ride the Vuelta.

The race suits him, he has unfinished business there and completing all three Grand Tours would add something genuinely new to his record.

But recovery must decide it.

A fully prepared Pogačar arriving to win would be one of the stories of the season. A fatigued Pogačar chasing history simply because the opportunity exists would be a risk he does not need to take.