Based on Gazzetta and Ayuso’s recent comments, Pogacar’s grand tour plans seem clear

That Pogacar will ride the Tour de France in 2025 is beyond doubt. It’s his race—the one in which he is the defending champion and where he could secure his fourth victory. That would tie him with Chris Froome and leave him just one shy of the record of five victories shared by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. Everyone is also eagerly awaiting his showdown with Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, who also seem poised to target France again.

While Pogacar took on the Giro d’Italia last season, rumors from Italy suggest he’ll skip that race in 2025. Instead, the Vuelta a España is expected to be his second Grand Tour, alongside the Tour, something Pogacar has cryptically hinted at himself. "The World Championships will be the hardest race to defend, but I prefer to go to races I haven’t won yet," he cryptically hinted.

Read more below the photo.

This could make the Giro d’Italia the designated race for UAE Team Emirates to back other leaders—riders who want to compete for the general classification without having to worry about Pogacar. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juan Ayuso is already prominently on the shortlist for the Giro. The Spaniard faced heavy criticism in 2024 when he seemed unwilling (or unable) to fully support Pogacar and was subsequently left out of the Vuelta lineup. Team manager Joxean Matxin recently remarked: “If Tadej rides one race, we’ll send someone like Juan to another as the leader.”

That plan is likely music to the ears of the young climbing talent. But what about João Almeida, Adam Yates, Pavel Sivakov, and the other top riders? According to La Gazzetta, the very young Isaac Del Toro may also be in contention for the Giro. This might give Giro director Mauro Vegni a small consolation. While Vegni will officially unveil the route in January, he has reportedly already sent the outline to Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Primoz Roglic. However, expecting all four to show up at the starting line in May seems like wishful thinking.