Can Tadej Pogacar Become Ninth Rider In History To Win All Three Grand Tours At Least Once?

Tadej Pogačar is perhaps the greatest to ever do it, but there is one thing missing from his extensive list of accomplishments: a win at the Vuelta a España. 

The six-time Grand Tour champion - five at the Tour de France and one the Giro d'Italia - will look to complete the collection with a victory at La Vuelta 2026, which gets underway Aug. 22 and will run through Sept. 13.

Pogačar is aiming to become the ninth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours at least one time each, and reaching that goal will require outlasting some of the best riders in the world over 21 challenging stages.

Fans in Canada can watch all of the action, live and on demand, on FloBikes and the FloSports app.

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The Vuelta a España is the third Grand Tour of the cycling season. It first was held in 1935 and has been contested every year since 1955.

This year marks the 81st edition of La Vuelta, but only the second start for Pogačar, who made it the first Grand Tour of his career when he debuted in 2019. 

The following season, his summertime focus turned to the Tour de France, and he has won that race in five of the seven years he has participated (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026). The other two times, he was the runner-up to Jonas Vingegaard (2022, 2023).

In 2024, Pogačar became the first rider since 1998 to win the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same year, and he now can become the latest to complete the TDF-La Vuelta double.

"Tadej Pogačar has already made history in 2026, and another Tour de France victory further cemented his place among cycling's all-time greats as perhaps the greatest ever to do it," FloBikes International Producer Gregor Brown said. "But there's still one thing missing. Pogačar has won the Tour de France. He's won the Giro d'Italia. He's never won the Vuelta a España.

"He now heads to Spain for a chance to complete the Grand Tour triple. One race. One missing title. And another chance to make history."

Can Pogačar add to his growing legacy with a win at La Vuelta 2026?

For Canadian viewers, the will be streaming on FloBikes and the FloSports app.

To see the start and estimated finish times for each stage, click here.

Highlights, race replays and breaking news will be available on both platforms.

Stage highlights, replays and more breaking news, including recaps and rider interviews, will be on both platforms. 

In the United States, the Vuelta a España is scheduled to be broadcast on the NBC Networks and streaming on the NBC Peacock app. 

The course for the Vuelta a España 2026 will be 3,275 kilometers, or approximately 2,035 miles.

Traditionally, there are 22 or 23 teams of eight riders and up to 184 total competitors in the Vuelta a España.

The 2026 race will feature 23 teams:

• Alpecin - Premier Tech (WT)
• Bahrain - Victorious (WT)
• Burgos Burpellet BH (PRT)
• Cofidis (PRT)
• Decathlon CMA CGM Team (WT)
• EF Education - EasyPost (WT)
• Equipo Kern Pharma (PRT)
• Groupama - FDJ United (WT)
• Lidl - Trek (WT)
• Lotto Intermarché (WT)
• Movistar Team (WT)
• Netcompany INEOS (WT)
• NSN Cycling Team (WT)
• Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team (PRT)
• Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe (WT
• Soudal Quick-Step (WT)
• Team Jayco AlUla (WT)
• Team Picnic PostNL (WT)
• Team Visma | Lease a Bike (WT)
• Tudor Pro Cycling Team (PRT)
• UAE Team Emirates - XRG (WT)
• Uno-X Mobility (WT)
• XDS Astana Team (WT)

As it turned out, yes, Jonas Vingegaard was the man to beat at the Vuelta a España in 2025.

He won three stages on the way to his first GC title at La Vuelta, which was affected in multiple stages by pro-Palestinian protests. He finished the 21 days of racing 1 minute, 16 seconds ahead of João Almeida, who won two stages of his own. 

Despite continued success during his career, Vingegaard also has suffered some pretty serious injuries, including a high-speed crash in the Tour of the Basque Country in 2024 that resulted in a broken collarbone, broken ribs and a punctured lung.

He's now recovering from a crash and broken collarbone during the 2026 Tour de France that likely will see him miss the chance to defend his title at the Vuelta a España.

After winning La Vuelta last summer, Vingegaard was able to continue his strong form at the 2025 Giro d'Italia, where he won the GC crown and became the eighth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours at least once.

At the Vuelta a España in 2024, Slovenia's Primoz Roglic won for a record-equaling fourth career victory at the storied race.

The former ski jumper has been plagued by crashes and injuries, including two significant ones in 2024, but he continues to persevere and managed to land himself among the year's most memorable moments with wins at the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné and La Vuelta.

He won the Vuelta a España in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and joined Spain's Roberto Heras as the event's only four-time champions (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005).

FloBikes is the streaming home to some of the best cycling from across the globe. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more of your favorites in action.

Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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