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08/03 07:37 CDT Pogacar returns to the Spanish Vuelta in pursuit of a rare
double and elusive treble
Pogacar returns to the Spanish Vuelta in pursuit of a rare double and elusive
treble
MADRID (AP) --- Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar is returning to the
Spanish Vuelta after a seven-year absence to pursue a Grand Tours hat trick of
titles.
The Slovenian rider's UAE Team Emirates-XRG team announced its lineup for the
three-week race on Monday, confirming Pogacar will take part after claiming a
record-equaling fifth Tour de France crown last month.
"It was my first ever Grand Tour back in 2019 and an amazing experience,"
Pogacar said. "Spain is a country I love to visit and race in and I think the
time is right to go back."
Exclusive clubs Pogacar joined Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain, and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders with five Tour de France titles to their names. Unlike male riders including Hinault, Anquetil, Merckx and Jonas Vingegaard, however, Pogacar has not won the Spanish Vuelta for a hat trick of Grand Tours wins. Pogacar, who won the Giro d'Italia in 2024 by a big margin, is also bidding to become just the fourth male rider to win the Vuelta and Tour de France in the same year after Anquetil, Hinault and Chris Froome. Spanish Vuelta The 81st Vuelta starts on Aug. 22 with an individual time trial in Monaco -- where Pogacar lives -- before making its way through France and Andorra to Spain. It concludes in Granada on Sept. 13 after nearly 3,300 kilometers of racing. The 27-year-old Pogacar won three stages when he finished third on his last and only appearance so far at the Vuelta. "Joining Pogacar are Joao Almeida, Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Pablo Torres, Kevin Vermaerke, Domen Novak and Ivo Oliveira," UAE Team Emirates-XRG said. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports |
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