Vuelta boss thinks Pogačar will return sooner rather than later: 'He has a score to settle'

Pogačar made his Grand Tour debut at the 2019 Vuelta a España. The result: third place overall and three stage wins. It was an incredible debut, but what he went on to achieve in the years that followed remains unbelievable. That’s why Guillen was more than eager for Pogačar to return to Spain once more, with the goal of winning the race. And that’s exactly what he did this year.

But his attempt to win all the Grand Tours came to an end on the eighth stage due to a broken collarbone and a fractured vertebra. That’s why Guillen thinks he’ll return. “I think he still has a score to settle with the Vuelta, but above all, the Vuelta wants him to come back to thank him for his fantastic performances and, above all, to give him the chance to finally win the Vuelta again,” he told AS.

After Pogacar dropped out, everyone thought the Vuelta a España would be exciting again. But when Enric Mas took over the red jersey from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader, the Spaniard from Movistar proved to be in a league of his own compared to his rivals. He thus won his first Grand Tour, but the Vuelta race director knows that things usually go differently. That will be extra motivation for Pogacar.

"He had that victory almost within his grasp when he had to stop, and it's the only Grand Tour he hasn't won yet. He saw the crowd's reaction to his presence and also realized that you can enjoy racing on the stages we design. And finally, what he saw from an organizational standpoint—aside from the crash—will convince him that he can and must return.”

Even though the Tour of Spain ended up being somewhat of a letdown thanks to an incredibly strong Mas, Guillen calls it a resounding success. According to him, expectations were exceeded.

"Aside from the setback of Pogacar's withdrawal, every organizer wants everything to be decided in the penultimate stage of the Vuelta—a Spanish rider against a foreign rider—and from that perspective, expectations have been far exceeded. It’s also true that if you’d told me this outcome before the Vuelta, I wouldn’t have believed it. So I’d say: yes, we’ve exceeded expectations.”