Pablo Torres, 20, fulfils dream with Vuelta debut alongside Tadej Pogačar

UAE Emirates-XRG starts the Vuelta a España on Saturday with Tadej Pogačar as the top favourite. The Slovenian will have proven climbers João Almeida and Jay Vine alongside him, but the presence of young Spanish talent Pablo Torres is intriguing too. The 20-year-old made a huge impression at the Tour de l'Avenir two years ago, before a series of setbacks interrupted his progress.

Torres set several climbing records in the 2024 Tour de l'Avenir, naturally attracting even more attention from UAE Emirates-XRG. The team moved quickly to secure him through 2030, but several crashes in 2025 contributed to knee problems that continued to trouble him. The issue was addressed earlier this year, and Torres showed that he was finding his level again at the Vuelta a Burgos, where he finished 11th.

That performance also helped seal his selection for the Vuelta a España. “This is the first time in my career that I’ll race for three weeks in a row,” Torres told Marca. He has never previously raced so many consecutive days and, although he feels calm heading into his Grand Tour debut, the Spaniard admits the challenge naturally commands a certain amount of respect.

There is no major pressure coming from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, either. Torres says the team has simply asked him to give his best and that he fully understands his main purpose at this Vuelta is to learn. At the same time, he is eager to show what he can do after a 2025 season in which crashes prevented him from reaching the level he had hoped for.

The fact that his first Grand Tour comes alongside Pogačar already makes the occasion particularly special for Torres. The young Spaniard says starting a three-week race alongside the rider he considers the best cyclist in the world is an experience he knows he will remember for the rest of his career.

Whether Torres will also be given an opportunity to ride for himself remains unclear. He knows that when the objective is to help Pogačar win, a teammate effectively has to be among the strongest riders in the race simply to remain alongside him when the decisive moments arrive. And with the strength of the competition at this Vuelta, Torres realises staying ahead of those rivals will be anything but straightforward.