2026-09-03T13:52:11.342Z<\/p>\n
The gap is nearly seven minutes now. Still 30 riders in the front \u2013 no one has really been dropped.<\/p>\n
Movistar are riding at their own pace on the front of the bunch, not really chasing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:49:59.501Z<\/p>\n Mas is looking comfortable but alert in the red jersey in the peloton.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:47:26.666Z<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the cycling world, stage 2 of the Tour of Britain Men just finished.<\/p>\n You can read our report here <\/a>(no spoilers just in case you’re avoiding the results…)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:46:12.415Z<\/p>\n The break aren’t really working that well together anymore. Some riders are committed and taking their turns but others are not quite sharing the load.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:42:33.002Z Gap is coming down ever so slightly. The road will head uphill soon, though the Alto del Velefique doesn’t officially start for another 15km.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:34:08.918Z<\/p>\n Our leaders have been swept back up by the break.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:33:07.981Z<\/p>\n I think Van Aert and Buitrago have just agreed to slow up and wait for the rest of the break to rejoin them.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:32:23.565Z<\/p>\n Enjoying our live race coverage? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for an all-access pass to our unrivalled reporting of WorldTour racing, bike tech and exclusive in-depth features. Plus, access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on-the-go!<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:31:56.730Z Van Aert and Buitrago have 20 seconds on the rest of the break, and 6:40 on the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:27:32.752Z<\/p>\n Van Aert and Buitrago are on their own on the descent again, just pushing on after that KOM sprint.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:26:38.383Z<\/p>\n Van Aert has 30 points in the KOM classification now, and Buitrago has 38.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:25:42.830Z Van Aert and Buitrago go head to head for the points and WVA wins it again.<\/p>\n Van Aert \u2013 5ptsBuitrago \u2013 3ptsBilbao \u2013 1pt<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:20:05.231Z<\/p>\n Woooops Luke Tuckwell nearly crashed into a soigneur in the feed zone there. Just about avoided disaster.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:11:48.665Z<\/p>\n The gap is up to six minutes now. How much elastic are the peloton going to give this break? At what point does it come un-closeable?<\/p>\n With two such long climbs left, a lot can change in the finale, so six minutes definitely isn’t too much to close, but I wonder what Movistar’s strategy is here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:05:56.372Z It’s deceptively calm right now. Still two really big climbs to come after this one.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T13:02:23.934Z<\/p>\n Still 11km left of this climb to go. It hasn’t been too eventful so far.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:51:36.903Z<\/p>\n If you’re looking for something to read whilst the race is relatively calm, I spoke with Paul Seixas yesterday about his upcoming races.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Paul Seixas raring to take on Canadian GPs and World Championships with Poga\u010dar possible absence opening up opportunities<\/p>\n French star will return from post-Tour de France break at Grand Prix Qu\u00e9bec before big goals of Worlds and Il Lombardia<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:50:00.171Z<\/p>\n Bahrain are understandably taking a lot of responsibility in the break. They have KOM points and GC positions to gain.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:48:29.171Z<\/p>\n That early attempt to split up the break hasn’t really worked, still a big group all together at the base of this long climb.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:44:44.641Z Still a lot of action and climbing to come today.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:43:56.637Z Buitrago is pushing on in the front of the break, trying to whittle things down a bit.<\/p>\n Riders like him will be hoping they can get rid of Omrzel, because that will give a smaller break a better chance of winning the stage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Van Aert, Almeida, Lutsenko, Bisiaux and Kron are with him.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:40:14.092Z<\/p>\n The gap has just reached five minutes.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:35:25.787Z<\/p>\n Sivakov confusion again. It was not him that we could see joining the break… He’s actually given up and waited for the peloton.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:33:05.119Z<\/p>\n Images of Onley’s crash, in case you missed it.<\/p>\n Slippery conditions on a roundabout have brought down the leader of the White Jersey, Oscar Onley! \ud83d\ude2eThe Scottish rider is currently fourth in the GC and this crash is something Onley did not need!#LaVuelta26 | August 22 – September 14 | SBS2 & @SBSOnDemand \ud83d\udcfa pic.twitter.com\/TxonvpLBfBSeptember 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:32:07.870Z<\/p>\n Here’s a look at Wout van Aert in the break.<\/p>\n Who do you think will win today? Break or peloton? Let me know in the comments.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images) 2026-09-03T12:30:07.354Z Van Aert wins maximum points again. He really is keen to go after this jersey, but he’s only made up 2 points in his 11-point deficit to Buitrago.<\/p>\n Van Aert \u2013 3ptsBuitrago \u2013 2ptsBilbao \u2013 1pt<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:27:05.988Z<\/p>\n Correction, Sivakov has made it, so 31 in the lead. Tracker is showing him as behind but we can see he is in the break.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:26:06.022Z<\/p>\n D\u00edaz and Hamilton have joined the break. Sivakov hasn’t made it. Should be 30 riders in the lead now.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:22:28.751Z There is a chasing group in between the peloton and the break \u2013 it’s made up of Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Chris Hamilton (Picnic PostNL) and Jos\u00e9 Manuel D\u00edaz (Burgos Burpellet BH).<\/p>\n They’re about a minute behind the break.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:20:19.353Z<\/p>\n Movistar are on the front of the bunch.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:13:46.911Z<\/p>\n Pretty impressive to see Tuckwell in this break after crashing today. He crashed last weekend too.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:13:22.927Z<\/p>\n The biggest GC threat in the group is Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) who sits at 8:05 down on Enric Mas, so Movistar will have to keep this somewhat controlled.<\/p>\n The gap is approaching three minutes currently.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:12:20.462Z<\/p>\n Here’s the names in the break:<\/p>\n L. Tuckwell (RBH)J. Almeida (UEX)I. Oliveira (UEX)K. Vermaerke (UEX)P. Castrillo (MOV)J. Arcas (MOV)W. van Aert (TVL)L. Bisiaux (DCT)E. Dunbar (PQT)J. Haig (NCI)A. Laurance (NCI)P. Bilbao (TBV)S. Buitrago (TBV)J. Omrzel (TBV)L. K\u00e4mna (LTK)R. Rochas (GFC)L. De Vylder (APT)H. Houle (APT)R. Debruyne (APT)A. Lutsenko (NSN)M. Vansevenant (SOQ)T. Johannessen (UXM)A. Kron (UXM)A. Leknessund (UXM)F. Pickering (JAY)V. Albanese (EFE)M. Brenner (TUD)H. Mulubrhan (XAT)U. Berrade (EKP)<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:09:11.793Z Oscar Onley is visiting the medical car.<\/p>\n Check the widget above for a list of names in the break.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:08:17.729Z<\/p>\n Some riders in this break don’t seem to want to be in such a big group. A few of them are trying to get away in a smaller break.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:07:23.130Z<\/p>\n The peloton are going almost comically slow now, letting the gap go out to a minute.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:06:47.079Z<\/p>\n Oscar Onley is back in the peloton, so Ineos can relax briefly now.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:06:12.515Z<\/p>\n Seems I spoke prematurely \u2013 the peloton is slowing up so I think this break of 27 will be our move of the day.<\/p>\n I’ll list the full names when we have them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:02:17.925Z<\/p>\n Van Aert is in this 27-rider front group. But I think they’re about to be caught and the situation will reset once again…<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:00:50.152Z<\/p>\n The gap is still small. Teams will have to asses who has made it and who hasn’t before they decide if this big move is going to be allowed to go.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T12:00:08.347Z<\/p>\n Back to the front of the race, our three leaders have just been joined by a large group of chasers \u2013 over 20 of them. Big group at the front now.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:59:01.495Z<\/p>\n Amazing landscapes in Andaluc\u00eda.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:58:06.131Z<\/p>\n Onley and fellow chasers are a minute down on the peloton because the bunch are going at full pelt now. They’ll be able to get back on but it’s not ideal.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:57:23.361Z<\/p>\n The Scot got a nice word of encouragement and a push from his former Picnic teammate Timo Roosen.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:56:55.847Z<\/p>\n Oof just saw the replay of the crash. Onley just slid out on the exit of the roundabout, landing on a patch of grass outside a Lidl. Looked heavy by the grass will have softened the blow.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:55:46.714Z<\/p>\n No teammates with Onley just yet. He’s just drafting behind the Ineos car.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:55:17.013Z Oscar Onley looks to have come off heavily round a roundabout, his white jersey is covered in dirt from the road. He’s remounted his bike and he’s chasing back on.<\/p>\n Luke Tuckwell also went down, and a rider from Picnic PostNL.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:49:30.395Z<\/p>\n We’ve got just over 20km of rolling road now before the next categorised climb.<\/p>\n Various riders are trying to chase across to our three leaders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:42:31.845Z<\/p>\n The three leaders have a bigger gap that anyone has had today, but I’m not sure three is a big enough break for today. I would say too many teams will be chasing behind for this to be able to stick.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:41:51.528Z Young Aussie Hamish McKenzie (Jayco AlUla) has quit after crashing yesterday.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:41:26.710Z<\/p>\n A new move has a pretty decent gap.<\/p>\n Alexey Lutsenko (NSN), Axel Laurance (Netcompany Ineos) and Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:39:38.813Z<\/p>\n Van Aert isn’t having a bad Vuelta, but his own team admitted that he does need to win for himself at some point. Today is probably too hard, but it’s still good to see him in the mix.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Return to lead-out duties for Wout van Aert brings Visma more success at Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, but he also needs wins himself says DS<\/p>\n ‘Hopefully he will win one stage, but on the other hand, he is an excellent teammate, and he wants to help Matthew Brennan win more stages’ says Frans Maassen<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:38:30.479Z<\/p>\n 20km done, Van Aert and Buitrago are reeled in. The breakaway battle starts anew.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:34:22.215Z<\/p>\n Van Aert and Buitrago have just chipped off the front of the peloton with that KOM effort.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:34:02.651Z Wout van Aert wins maximum points with a little sprint over the top.<\/p>\n Van Aert \u2013 3ptsBuitrago \u2013 2ptsSivakov \u2013 1pt<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:32:45.815Z<\/p>\n Up front, Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello Q36.5) is leading the way in trying to get into the break, but nothing is sticking yet.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:32:11.583Z<\/p>\n Gregor Muhlberger (Decathlon CMA CGM) stopped and got off his bike, and also started taking his shoe off. Not sure if he’s needing a bike change or a shoe change…<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:31:31.918Z<\/p>\n Plenty of riders have been in the action today.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:29:30.519Z<\/p>\n Vine is struggling at the back, whilst his teammate Oliveira is off the front with a couple of riders. Still not an established break as we approach the top of the climb.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:26:33.786Z<\/p>\n Jay Vine gave a kind of avoidant interview to Eurosport. Saying he’s not feeling good, but he doesn’t know why. He didn’t want to say much.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:23:09.085Z<\/p>\n Wout van Aert is getting involved now. He’s after green jersey points mainly, but he’s also close enough to the lead of the mountains jersey that that could be of interest to him too…<\/p>\n He’s not going to win that jersey but it would be nice to wear it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:21:22.524Z Start of the climb. It’s long-ish but a pretty gentle gradient. It’s steeper near the top.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:18:26.980Z<\/p>\n No break yet, but we’re only 6km in.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:17:14.012Z Small crash in the bunch, Fredrik Wahndal (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) went down but was back up and riding quickly. Tense in the peloton though.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:13:42.846Z<\/p>\n EF Education-EasyPost are throwing plenty of riders into the mix here. Them, Tudor, Uno-X all clearly want to be in the break.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:11:06.528Z<\/p>\n Fuelled by his bananas, Ethan Hayter is the first rider to try to attack as the break formation begins.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:10:22.610Z Off they go!<\/p>\n 166.6km and over 60km of uphill to come.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:06:26.576Z A couple of other riders didn’t start today, alongside Tulett:<\/p>\n Lindsay De Vylder (Alpecin-Premier Tech)David Gonz\u00e1lez (Pinarello Q36.5)<\/p>\n We’re tracking all the abandons throughout the race<\/a> if you want to know who else has dropped out so far.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T11:03:19.527Z The peloton have just rolled away from the start line for a short neutral section.<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T10:57:58.150Z<\/p>\n Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d just gave the most Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d interview to the host broadcasters.<\/p>\n They asked him if he would prefer if today was a breakaway.<\/p>\n Uhhh, yeah… I don’t care, eh? It will be hard anyway.<\/p>\n Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d 2026-09-03T10:49:23.777Z It’s about 32\u00b0 C at the start today, so riders are trying to keep cool. We’ve really had every type of weather in this Vuelta. Remember the hail storm?<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T10:47:04.111Z<\/p>\n Oh, Hayter’s prize is for the most combative rider on stage 11.<\/p>\n How did I not know until today that the prize for that is bananas?!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T10:46:19.574Z<\/p>\n Looks like Ethan Hayter won a trophy and a prize of bananas at the start this morning. I wish I could tell you what that was for…<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n 2026-09-03T10:44:11.209Z The riders will start in just over 15 minutes, with a short neutral and the official start slated for 13:07 local time.<\/p>\n They’ll be climbing almost straight away, with the official start of the Alto del Cabecico coming 8km into the stage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2026-09-03T10:41:48.923Z<\/p>\n It’s back to the GC action after what was a fairly tame sprint day yesterday. If you missed out on any of that stage, here’s the report and results.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a: Matthew Brennan nets hat-trick with victory on stage 11 using lead-out by Wout van Aert<\/p>\n Bryan Coquard and Jordi Meeus earn podium spots in Lorca<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2026-09-03T10:36:48.387Z<\/p>\n Speaking of crashes, here’s the latest update on Poga\u010dar after he crashed out of the race last Saturday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Tadej Poga\u010dar out of hospital after Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a crash and injuries but questions remain regarding World Championships<\/p>\n Slovenian set to recover at home from injuries, date on return yet to be announced<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2026-09-03T10:33:58.417Z<\/p>\n One abandon to report already this morning: Ben Tulett won’t be starting.<\/p>\n He crashed a few days ago so will head home. The British climber hasn’t really had the Vuelta he might have hoped for, but Visma-Lease a Bike still have former winner Sepp Kuss in the GC conversation.<\/p>\n \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8 #LaVuelta26 Unfortunately, Ben Tulett will not start today\u2019s stage of La Vuelta due to lingering issues from his crash a few days ago. pic.twitter.com\/CUU0Eh2U9KSeptember 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n![\"CALAR](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ejiqnRStgZVqvATaTUk6WH.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n60km to go<\/p>\n
\n70km to go<\/p>\n
\nKOM: Collado Garc\u00eda (cat. 2)<\/p>\n
\n90km to go<\/p>\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/zTdwJzQuy5z4Z3AuUFpeSe.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Pello](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/9S5i9ixhS5dZbUD92H6kik.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n100km to go<\/p>\n
\nCollado Garc\u00eda (18.8km at 2.4%)<\/p>\n![\"CALAR](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/xu6Vtjrt9zCGGNDeJgfyTN.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nKOM: Alto de C\u00f3bdar (cat. 3)<\/p>\n
\nAlto de C\u00f3bdar (4.9km at 4.5%)<\/p>\n
\n120km to go<\/p>\n![\"CALAR](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/yxZDyzMqowjFpnFajEv3Gg.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\nCrash<\/p>\n
\nAbandon<\/p>\n![\"LORCA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/zBhE3nRBPTPkZVuofv4jLB.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\nKOM: Alto del Cabecico (cat. 3)<\/p>\n![\"CALAR](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/JGWWsrj9w3GYndACFo5qKn.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\nAlto del Cabecico (8.4km at 3.3%)<\/p>\n
\nCrash<\/p>\n
\nOfficial start<\/p>\n
\n3 riders DNS on stage 12<\/p>\n
\nNeutral roll-out<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nA hot day in Spain<\/p>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/QXAkkiohDXFN2xioi2mUR5.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Ethan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/srqvHrYKrFHUBmJi3NaatY.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
\nRoll-out at 13:00 CEST<\/p>\n![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WmXeDCxvGJm8xXUU8qD2Um.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5vwDXGMM3jtSqDnVPY4pDH.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n
![\"Stage](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WMmfL5LFJsxj483ejnV9dd.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Matilda](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788444058_666_eMzQ9Ja3GRin8MADZHom3A.png\")
<\/p>\n