Because it cannot be otherwise, the 79th edition of La Vuelta presents a top-level entry, with some of the main artists of the peloton, but also some notable absences.
We’ll just highlight the ones we consider the most outstanding:
1
TADEJ POGACAR
The Slovenian can aim for a historic treble after sweeping victories at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. Some days in the Tour it was said that there was little possibility of seeing Pogacar at La Vuelta, but later in the Grande Boucle, his team, the UAE Team Emirates, ruled out this possibility, denying that ‘Pogi’ was maybe in this year’s Vuelta and making sure it will be in future editions. Pogacar has only competed in one edition of the Vuelta, 2019, where it can be said to have shown itself on a world level, after winning three stages and finishing third overall.
2
JONAS VINGEGAARD
Tadej Pogacar’s great rival in the grand tours is also absent from La Vuelta. After a season marked by the serious crash he suffered in Itzulia, the Dane came second in the Tour after Pogacar and in a few months there were details that could lead to the prediction that the leader of Visma-Lease a Bike could be in La Vuelta, but the coincidence of the dates of the Spanish cycle with the birth of his second baby has been impossible. Vingegaard has only competed twice in the Spanish round, with 2nd place in 2023 as his best result
3
REMCO EVENEPOEEL
Winner of La Vuelta in 2022 and after performing very well in his first participation in the Tour de France, where he finished third, the young Belgian cannibal ruled out the Spanish round in his calendar. The head of Soudal prioritized the Paris Olympic Games, where he achieved a historic double in the time trial and on the road, and once France is conquered he wants to focus on the World Championship and the rest of the classics. There was only one season in which Remco completed the grand laps. It was in 2023, the year in which after leaving the Giro he took part in La Vuelta (12th)
4
MATHIEU VAN DER POEL
Mathieu Van der Poel will continue without visiting La Vuelta this year. The versatile Dutch rider will also not visit the Spanish round this year, after competing in the Tour de France for the fourth consecutive year. 12th in the road race at the Paris Olympic Games, the Alpecin runner heads up the World Championships on September 29 in Switzerland. The cyclist from Kapellen, outside the Tour, only competed in one edition of the Giro d’Italia, in 2022, where he finished 57th
5
JUAN AYUSO
Undoubtedly, this is the big loss for Spanish cycling fans. After leaving the Tour de France in the 13th stage of the Tour, many comments say that Ayuso will enter the Spanish round. La Vuelta director Javier Guillén has publicly expressed his desire for this to happen, but UAE Team Emirates assured MD that the Barcelona-born cyclist is his team’s first reserve, as he has been. A pitcher of cold water for Ayuso, who will miss what he once considered ‘his career’, after finishing 3rd in 2022 and 4th in 2023
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
