Tadej Pogacar is tired. © ANSA / MARTIN DIVISEK

Tadej Pogacar takes a break

The rematch between Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar and his rival Jonas Vingegaard at the Vuelta a España has been canceled. Two days after his fourth triumph in France, the Slovenian world champion withdrew from the Tour of Spain.

July 29, 2025

From: dpa

"After such a demanding tour, we decided to take a break. The Vuelta is, of course, a race I would love to participate in. I have fantastic memories of 2019, but now my body is telling me I need to rest," Pogacar said in a statement from his UAE team.

Like Vingegaard, Pogacar had originally aimed to compete in the Vuelta. But by the final week of the Tour, the Slovenian seemed tired and less aggressive. This may also be due to his constant involvement in the tough classics like Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in the spring.

Racing break until mid-September

The 26-year-old plans to return to action on September 12 and 14 with the Canadian races in Quebec and Montreal – in preparation for the World Championship in Rwanda. Pogacar has a good chance of successfully defending his title on the challenging mountain course at the first title fights in Africa.

The UAE team will be co-captained by Portuguese rider Joao Almeida and Spanish rider Juan Ayuso at the Vuelta, which begins on August 23. Almeida, Pogacar's primary supporter in the mountains, had to retire early in the Tour after a crash.