Tadej Pogacar will start the Vuelta a España just 26 days after claiming his fifth Tour de France, pursuing the Tour-Vuelta double no rider has achieved since Chris Froome in 2017. Victory would make Pogacar the ninth cyclist to win all three Grand Tours. Monaco becomes the first city to host starts of all three Grand Tours, with Saturday's time trial launching a route covering over 3,275 km and seven summit finishes before the 13 September finale in Granada.
Pogacar's main challengers include Felix Gall and Primoz Roglic, though four-time champion Roglic remains below peak form following a late-July car collision. Jonas Vingegaard is absent, still recovering from a collarbone fracture sustained during his Tour crash. Oscar Onley leads Ineos Grenadiers, while Jan Hirt becomes the most-capped Czech rider with his seventh Vuelta start. Pogacar is also negotiating a contract extension with UAE Team Emirates potentially through 2031.