Pogačar returns to the Spanish Vuelta in pursuit of a rare double and elusive triple

MADRID (AP) — Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar 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 Pogačar 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,” Pogačar said. “Spain is a country I love to visit and race in and I think the time is right to go back.”Exclusive clubsPogačar 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.Pogačar, who won the Giro d’Italia in 2024 by a big margin, is also bidding to become just the four