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SlovenščinaPrimož finished the 2026 Vuelta in second place, adding a sixth podium finish to his remarkable record at the Spanish Grand Tour. This time, however, the number two tells only part of the story. Less than a month before the start of the race, Primož was hit by a car during training. A major haematoma and severe pain forced him to replace the most important part of his preparation with rehabilitation. Just weeks before the start, he was still unable to train normally, and even his participation in Monaco was uncertain. Primož therefore arrived at the Vuelta without ideal preparation or bold predictions. He came with the intention of taking the race day by day and doing the best he could at every stage. From Monaco towards Spain The Vuelta began with a 9.4-kilometre individual time trial through the streets of Monaco. The opening days immediately presented an extremely demanding challenge: Stage 3 was cancelled due to dangerous weather conditions, while Stage 4 took the peloton into the mountains of Andorra. On the first true mountain stage, Primož showed that he could still compete for the top positions despite his disrupted preparation. The race took another dramatic turn on Stage 8, when Pogačar was forced to abandon following a crash. Enric Mas took the red jersey, while Primož moved into second place overall, one minute behind the Spaniard. One of the toughest stages of the entire race followed the very next day. On the way to Alto de Aitana, the riders tackled more than 5,000 metres of elevation gain, with Primož finishing the stage in third place. Mas extended his advantage with the stage victory, but Primož remained in contention for the overall win. Three weeks of perseverance The demanding mountain stages continued throughout the second week. Mas gained another 27 seconds on Calar Alto and also extended his advantage on Sierra de la Pandera. Primož, however, refused to give up. Despite the effects of his injury and a lack of training, he remained among the best and kept his hopes of a final podium alive. A crucial moment came on Stage 18, a 32.1-kilometre individual time trial between El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera. Primož finished fourth, gained 33 seconds on Mas and moved back into second place overall. With two mountain stages remaining, he was one minute and 37 seconds behind the red jersey. On the climb to Peñas Blancas, he attacked inside the final two kilometres, but Mas and the other contenders responded. The final major opportunity came on the queen stage: almost 187 kilometres, five demanding climbs and approximately 5,000 metres of elevation gain before the brutal finish on Collado del Alguacil. Primož and his team tried everything, but Mas was stronger on this occasion. He extended his advantage to two minutes and 15 seconds and secured the overall victory. A result that means more than a number Primož arrived in Granada as the runner-up of the 2026 Vuelta. Enric Mas won the race, while Felix Gall completed the podium. “Looking back at where I was a few weeks ago, finishing second was difficult to imagine, so in this case it feels like a victory.” Second place does not mean that the Una más story ended differently from the way we had hoped. It means that Primož once again showed why a result sometimes tells only part of the story. For three weeks, he improved, persevered and fought alongside the best. He went from wondering whether he would even be able to start to finishing second in one of the toughest races in the world. Some results mean more than a number. Four victories. One third place and one extraordinary second place.
