The fallout from an August car crash: Roglič missed Clásica San Sebastián and Vuelta a Burgos, and a week ago his start was rated 50/50. Red Bull also arrives without a single top climber—Evenepoel, Hindley, Lipowitz, Pellizzari, Vlasov, and Martínez stayed home. Support comes from Fisher-Black, Meeus, and Tuckwell. Sport director Sven Vanthourenhout was blunt: "We have to be realistic because his preparation has been very different from what we originally anticipated." Against Pogačar, returning to the Vuelta for the first time since 2019 as an overwhelming favorite, Red Bull are playing a different game.