{"id":856409,"date":"2026-08-13T09:24:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T09:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/856409\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T09:24:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T09:24:25","slug":"2026-vuelta-a-espana-gc-favourites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/856409\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a GC favourites"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, the focus shifts to the third Grand Tour of the year: the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a<\/a>. By mid-September, we\u2019ll know who will succeed Jonas Vingegaard in Granada, where the race concludes. The Dane will not be competing in Spain. IDL Pro Cycling breaks down the top favorites for the Vuleta a Espa\u00f1a general classification.Watch now or coming soon on IDL Pro Cycling:
– Preview of the 2026 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a route<\/a>
– Favorites for the points classification-
– Favorites for the mountains classification-
– Favorites for the Young Rider Classification
– Betting Tips for the 2026 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1aRecent GC Winners of the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a<\/p>\n

2025 Jonas Vingegaard
2024 Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d
2023 Sepp Kuss
2022 Remco Evenepoel
2021 Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d
2020 Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d
2019 Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d
2018 Simon Yates
2017 Chris Froome
2016 Nairo Quintana<\/p>\n

Favorites for the General Classification of La Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a 2026<\/p>\n

To compile this list\u2014based on the provisional start list\u2014we asked current and former editors of *In de Leiderstrui* to name their top ten in response to the question: \u201cWho has the best chance of winning the 2026 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a?\u201d So we didn\u2019t ask for a prediction of the top ten, but rather for ten names who actually have the best chance of winning the Vuelta. Each top-ten selection was assigned points according to the following scale: 12 points for first place, 10 for second, and so on with 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point.<\/p>\n

10. Jorgen Nordhagen – Visma | Lease a Bike\"Jorgen<\/p>\n

Visma | Lease a Bike hasn\u2019t started a Grand Tour without a genuine podium contender in quite some time. The Dutch team is aiming for a mix of experience and youth in the upcoming Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a. On the one hand, there are Wout van Aert, Steven Kruijswijk, and Sepp Kuss, while on the other hand, we also have Matthew Brennan, Ben Tulett, and Jorgen Nordhagen.<\/p>\n

When it comes to potential, that last rider might just be the one who can go the farthest in the general classification. The Norwegian has been regarded as a major talent for several seasons now and finished eighth in the UAE Tour and fourth in the Tour de Romandie this season. Without too much pressure, he could add a strong result in the Vuelta to that list.<\/p>\n

9. Joao Almeida – UAE Emirates-XRG\"joao-almeida\"\/UAE Emirates-XRG kicks off the race with the clear favorite (spoiler alert: oh no, not really) Tadej Pogacar<\/a>. In his shadow, the team has another rider in the Nordhagen category in Pablo Torres, while Jay Vine and Joao Almeida are set to provide the necessary support on the climbs. The Portuguese rider finished second last year, but is having a rough season this year.He\u2019s actually been struggling since February, but during a press conference with the Portuguese media ahead of the Tour of Poland, Almeida stated that he\u2019s back in top form and has podium ambitions for the Vuelta<\/a>. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from the Tour of Poland as well, which is why he might be ranked a few spots lower on our list than usual.8. Santiago Buitrago – Bahrain Victorious\"santiago-buitrago\"\/<\/p>\n

The Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a is the Grand Tour where riders who\u2019ve had a run of bad luck can still salvage their season, and alongside Almeida, we also find Santiago Buitrago of Bahrain Victorious in that category. The Colombian, who has already announced a move to NSN for the next three years, has also had his share of setbacks this season.<\/p>\n

Buitrago was building up to the Giro d’Italia in the first half of 2026, but was caught up in the major crash on day two in Bulgaria. Afterward, he also fell ill during the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes, leaving the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a as the only race remaining on his schedule. He\u2019s not a sure bet, but that might say something about the general classification field in this race.<\/p>\n

7. Mattias Skjelmose – Lidl-Trek\"mattias-skjelmose\"\/<\/p>\n

At Lidl-Trek, Mattias Skjelmose has been pursuing a well-planned career for years. In the 2024 Vuelta, the Dane competed for the general classification in a Grand Tour for the first time in his career, which immediately earned him a fifth-place finish\u2014and confirmed his potential. He didn\u2019t compete in another Grand Tour in 2025, but he went on to finish an impressive sixth in this year\u2019s Tour de France.<\/p>\n

Now comes a new challenge in stage racing for the explosive Dane: two Grand Tours in a single year. If he does decide at some point to put the general classification out of his mind, he can always team up with Mads Pedersen to chase stage wins. What we do know is that he is inherently one of the better riders in the race.<\/p>\n

6. Primoz Roglic – Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe\"primoz-roglic\"\/<\/p>\n

Sixth place on this list goes to Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d, though at the time of writing, it is still unclear whether he will definitely be on the starting line in his hometown of Monaco. Rogli\u010d was struck by a car during a high-altitude training camp, so the decision will be made at a later date.<\/p>\n

As a four-time winner, he deserves a higher spot on the list, but his most recent results\u2014combined with his lackluster preparation\u2014no longer fully justify that. Roglic\u2019s last real breakthrough dates back to March 2025, when he won the Tour of Catalonia.<\/p>\n

5. Enric Mas – Movistar\"Enric-mas\"\/<\/p>\n

Movistar hasn’t really had luck on its side in the Grand Tours this season, but in the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, Eusebio Unzu\u00e9’s team can usually still pull off a few impressive results. In recent years, that has often been thanks to Enric Mas: he finished in the top six in each of his last six appearances and also stood on the podium three times.<\/p>\n

Things haven’t exactly gone smoothly for the rider from Mallorca this season either, but his results in Burgos were encouraging. The not-so-explosive climber was able to keep up with the best and finished a solid fifth.<\/p>\n

4. Richard Carapaz – EF Education-EasyPost\"richard-carapaz\"\/<\/p>\n

Early in his career, Richard Carapaz often struggled in the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, but in recent years, the Ecuadorian has come to love the race. Carapaz finished second in 2020, came in fourth in 2024, and in 2022 won three stages and the mountains jersey.<\/p>\n

He also claimed that same jersey in this year\u2019s Tour de France, where he proved himself to be one of the best climbers in the world. With Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Seixassen absent from the starting line, he may be able to hope for a podium finish in the Vuelta: in any case, the original plan of Carapaz and team boss Jonathan Vaughters was to go for a general classification win.<\/p>\n

3. Oscar Onley – Netcompany INEOS\"Oscar<\/p>\n

Oscar Onley is another rider in the \u201cstill has something to prove\u201d category for 2026. The Scot was signed by Netcompany INEOS for a hefty sum, but a crash into a ravine during the Tour Auvergne Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes threw his entire summer into disarray. No Tour de France, so he\u2019ll be refocusing his efforts on the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a.<\/p>\n

Onley proved in Burgos that he\u2019s done a pretty good job of that. Upon his return, he immediately won a stage and finished second overall. Last year\u2019s fourth-place finisher in the Tour de France is now heading to the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, where he aims to give Netcompany INEOS its first podium finish in a Grand Tour since the 2024 Giro (Geraint Thomas).<\/p>\n

2. Felix Gall – Decathlon CMA CGM\"felix-gall-1\"\/<\/p>\n

One rider who\u2019s been on a roll this season is Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM. The Austrian finished third in the UAE Tour, sixth in the Tour of Catalonia, and was then Jonas Vingegaard\u2019s closest rival in the Giro d\u2019Italia. Afterward, he took some time off, only to return immediately in Burgos with a stage win and the overall victory.<\/p>\n

Gall is now set to compete in the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, where\u2014despite his nationality\u2014he\u2019ll find temperatures that suit him. Last season, he faltered a bit during the final week, but with the credentials he\u2019s earned since 2026, a podium finish in a Grand Tour is once again within his reach.<\/p>\n

1. Tadej Poga\u010dar – UAE Emirates-XRG\"tadej-pogacar\"\/<\/p>\n

No explanation needed.<\/p>\n

Or is he? We\u2019re talking about a five-time Tour winner, the man who has been number one in the UCI rankings for five years in a row, who was last beaten in a stage race in 2023 (Tour de France) was last beaten in a stage race and now wants to complete his bingo card in the Vuelta because it will be more difficult to do so in 2027 (World Championships) and 2028 (Olympic Games).<\/p>\n

Assuming there are no crashes or illnesses, we’re talking about the winner of the 2026 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, the focus shifts to the third Grand Tour of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":856410,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,21615,82,1422,32801],"class_list":["post-856409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-previews","tag-sports","tag-tadej-pogacar","tag-vuelta-a-espana"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}