Vélo d’Or nominations unveiled – Who would get your vote?

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A few days after Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or for excellence in football, the 2026 Vélo d’Or nominations were revealed with the season’s biggest stars leading the shortlists for the men’s and women’s awards.

The Vélo d’Or – ‘Golden Bicycle’ in English – is a prestigious award that is handed out by France’s Vélo Magazine with the winners decided by a jury of international cycling journalists.

Three-time winner Tadej Pogačar is once again nominated for the men’s award after taking his fifth Tour de France title, with his teammates Isaac del Toro and world champion Brandon McNulty also making the list. The two other Grand Tour winners of the year – Jonas Vingegaard and Enric Mas – also earned nominations, alongside Paul Seixas, Remco Evenepoel and Felix Gall.

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Only two Classics specialists are up for the main award: Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.

On the women’s list, Demi Vollering is surely a favourite to win her second Vélo d’Or, with last year’s winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot perhaps surprisingly not receiving a nomination after a lacklustre year on the road, though she is nominated for French rider of the year.

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Tour de France Femmes stars Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Marlen Reusser and Elisa Longo Borghini all make the list, as did revelation Paula Blasi, Antonia Niedermaier, Juliette Berthet, Anna van der Breggen, Kim Le Court-Pienaar and sprint sensation Lorena Wiebes.

Matthew Brennan, Jakob Omrzel and Paul Seixas are up for the men’s rookie of the year, with Paula Blasi, Célia Gery and Isabella Holmgren earning the women’s rookie nominations.

Cast your vote!

Other categoriesClassics rider of the year (men)Remco EvenepoelTadej PogačarPaul SeixasWout van AertMathieu van der PoelClassics rider of the year (women)Franziska KochLotte KopeckyKasia Niewiadoma-PhinneyPuck PieterseDemi VolleringSprinter of the year (men)Matthew BrennanPaul MagnierTim MerlierJonathan MilanJasper PhilipsenSprinter of the year (women)Elisa BalsamoLara GillespieCharlotte KoolNienke VeenhovenLorena WiebesFrench rider of the year (men)Dorian GodonRomain GrégoirePaul MagnierLenny MartinezPaul SeixasFrench rider of the year (women)Juliette BerthetMarion BunelPauline Ferrand-PrévôtCélia GeryCédrine KerbaolParacyclist of the yearLouis HubertFlorian JouannyAlexandre LéautéThomas TarouAnaïs Vincent

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