Take it with a grain of salt: Pogacar skips Giro, Bernal (as Vingegaard’s domestique) and Ganna leaving INEOS?

First, Pogacar, who is currently enjoying a well-deserved vacation after an incredible 2024. While UAE Team Emirates has already stated that they will review the 2025 race schedule in December, Conti claims to already know Pogacar’s choice of grand tours. The Tour de France is set to be his main focus, and instead of the Giro d'Italia, he would pair it with the Vuelta a España.

Pogacar has only raced the Vuelta once, in his debut year as a pro cyclist in 2019. He immediately finished third in the overall standings, taking three stage wins and the young rider’s jersey. A return to the Vuelta seems meant to be, as Pogacar, with one Giro victory and three Tour de France titles under his belt, only lacks a Vuelta trophy to complete his collection.

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Mr. Conti also brought up the situation concerning Filippo Ganna. The 28-year-old Italian is reportedly contemplating an early departure from INEOS Grenadiers. His contract with the British multimillion-dollar powerhouse runs until the end of 2027, but it’s widely known that several big names are leaving INEOS. Nearly the entire staff has been given a refresh, and there is still uncertainty about the future of their star rider, Tom Pidcock.

A signature from Ganna is naturally highly sought after in the WorldTour. According to Conti, UAE Team Emirates and Lidl-Trek have already expressed interest in the time trial specialist, with concrete offers reportedly on the table. Such a transfer would have to happen after 2025. This is also with a view toward a potential team time trial in the 2026 Tour de France, which teams are already anticipating. Of course, with Ganna, you get far more than just a time trial specialist; he has also proven himself multiple times during the spring classics.

But that’s not all, as Radio Corsa had more news: Jonas Vingegaard is reportedly looking for better climbing domestiques at Visma | Lease a Bike, in order to counter Pogacar’s powerful UAE train. One potential candidate whose name has come up is Egan Bernal of INEOS. The Colombian is under contract in Britain until the end of 2026.

A move by Bernal would be significant, as he has spent his entire career at INEOS, joining the WorldTour from Androni in 2017. At INEOS, Bernal won the Tour de France in 2019 and the Giro d'Italia in 2021. However, after a severe crash (hitting a stationary bus) during training in January 2022, we haven’t seen the same Bernal since.