Take2 weeks ago
Once Pogačar is in red with room to breathe, he stops being a competitor and becomes the race director — rivals have already accepted they're fighting for second place. That cession of authority is the real story of this Vuelta a España 2026.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG is the only squad strong enough to control the race nearly at will, which means Pogačar can decide the texture of each day — tempo stranglehold or breakaway chaos — based on what costs him least. His own framing after stage 2 confirmed the logic: «If it doesn't cost too much energy, the plan is to control the stage.» Rivals know that sitting behind UAE locks in a Pogačar-controlled finish, so coordinated attacks are the only way to create instability — but with nobody near his level of climbing acceleration and time-trial range after the Tour de France 2026, that coordination hasn't materialised.
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