A day on from the end of an historic 81st edition of the Vuelta a España brings the perfect chance to reflect on the drama, emotions, and great racing we saw over three weeks from Monaco all the way to Granada.
Much has changed since the riders rolled away from the iconic casino in Monaco, where anything but Tadej Pogačar winning the overall title 21 stages later was going to be a huge surprise. But that is precisely what happened.
An innocuous piece of road on stage 8 is where the Slovenian crashed out of the race, the first Grand Tour he hasn’t finished in his career. And it completely changed how the remaining stages and the race for the red jersey would unfold, with an unlikely home winner stepping into the spotlight.
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Enric Mas and Movistar finally delivered on the high potential which was bestowed upon him years ago, but after three second places and a third and years of failing to beat Primož Roglič, it was a result for the 31-year-old that seemed like it would never happen. Finally, though, it did.
There are several moments from this race that will be remembered, but so too will the weather, with blistering heat in southern Spain forcing an unprecedented stage shortening in Cordoba, and completely battering much of the peloton as they scrambled to stay cool and hydrated.
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With the final Grand Tour of the season behind us, the focus will now turn to the World Championships in Canada for many riders who have raced in Spain, and then the Italian Classics, building into the Autumn and end of the 2026 racing calendar.
Before moving on from the Vuelta, though, here are our six key conclusions from this historic Vuelta a España.
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Enric Mas’ (and Mikel Landa’s) victories finally give Spain and ‘traditional’ Grand Tour GC countries something to cheer about again
Mas celebrates with his Movistar team on the final podium (Image credit: Getty Images)
If you wanted an image that summed up the Vuelta a España after Tadej Pogačar was forced to abandon, rather than Enric Mas in red, you could do worse than remember the sight of Mikel Landa ploughing his way up the Collado del Alguacil on Saturday.
That’s because, with all due respect to Landa, at 36, his victory was something of a throwback to the previous golden era of Spanish stage cycling. After all, his previous Vuelta stage win in 2015 in Andorra came just a few months after Alberto Contador had claimed Spain’s previous Grand Tour in the Giro d’Italia that year. And it was just a year, too, after Contador had won the Vuelta (in which Landa finished 28th), Spain’s previous victory in its home Grand Tour to Mas in 2026.
It’s true that Mas was once considered the successor to Alberto Contador, and the Spaniard’s run of Vuelta podium finishes, ironically enough, only served to remind us of that ‘nearly status’, as they always kept Movistar in the GC picture, but never in the middle. But Mas turned pro in 2017, with his first big gesture in a Grand Tour helping Contador win his last-ever Vuelta stage on the Angliru. By that point, Landa was an already established figure, with his third place in Contador’s 2015 Giro setting him up as the rider who would carry the torch for Spain once Contador had quit.
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That historic status means that Landa was (and is) one of the few remaining links to an era which Mas has now provided the strongest reminder of in over a decade. That was the time when Spain, Italy, whose last winner was Vincenzo Nibali in the Giro of 2016, and France, whose last Grand Tour winner was also in the Vuelta, back in 1995, were leading figures in three-week stage racing and when their teams like Liquigas and Movistar were amongst those that counted the most in Grand Tours.
By 2011, Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins with Sky (for whom Landa also raced, and was considered a GC favourite in the Giro) had already set the scene for other countries with less Grand Tour success in their collective palmares to make the running and so – if we all know the outcome – had Lance Armstrong in the noughties for the USA.
But thanks to Contador and Nibali, Spain (and Italy) remained reference points all the same. While Mas’ victory is a major reminder of that era, racing for a team like Movistar with an enormous heritage of Grand Tour success, it’s Landa who provides one of the last direct historical links.
Looking ahead, quite how long this scenario will last or what the implications are for Spanish cycling in general remains to be seen. Landa will likely have a tough time racing a Grand Tour again, barring a wildcard invitation for Euskaltel-Euskadi in the years to come to the Vuelta or (at a stretch) another Grand Tour.
Mas, at 31, can’t be seen as a long-term guarantee of Grand Tour success, although Movistar are hopeful that he will continue at the same level for at least a couple more years, which will allow more young talent (take a bow, Juan Ayuso) to fill the vacuum.
But in the meantime, the success of Landa and Mas matters a great deal. It is hoped that Mas’ victory will help generate some much-needed new sponsorship interest in a country which is already at risk of losing one of its flagship ProTeams, Kern Pharma, this winter. It could also help generate or revive much greater interest in the sport across all generations in Spain.
Whatever the long-term consequences, Mas’ overall victory is a timely reminder that just because traditional Grand Tour countries like Italy and Spain, have been sleeping giants, they still have a lot to say in three-week stage racing.
France are already pinning their hopes on Paul Seixas to do that in the future, but Mas’ success is in the here and now, and in a sport with notoriously short memory. So even if – at 31 – he does prove to be a one-GT wonder, the occasion of a lifetime was there for Mas to seize, and he took it with both hands. Hopefully Spanish cycling in general can benefit big time from its first Grand Tour success in 10 years as a result. (AF)
The Grand Tours battle against climate change continues to hang large over the sport
Riders were cooling themselves constantly with bidons throughout the sweltering 81st edition (Image credit: Getty Images)
Gianni Vermeersch told Het Nieuwsblad that the hailstorms of the first week that caused one Vuelta stage to be suspended were easier to handle than the extreme heat of weeks two and three. Regardless of which was worse, both of these phenomena arguably carried the same message.
After a brutally hot Tour de France, the hailstones and rising temperatures day after day in the Vuelta, put the effects of climate change back in the narrative of a Grand Tour, yet again.
The organisers and UCI have taken what measures they can, from cancelling one stage because of the hail to shortening another because of the heat, or being much more flexible about handing over bidons of water. But there will almost certainly come a time when these solutions are insufficient.
You could already argue that these solutions are already proving inadequate. We’ve reached a point where riders were abandoning the Vuelta because of heat stroke, like Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Arthur Kluckers (Tudor). Entire teams, like Uno-X Mobility, were being told not to get into breakaways and to simply concentrate on surviving. Even two years ago, en route to Seville in extreme heat again, riders expressed their lack of enthusiasm by staging a lengthy go-slow in the first part of the course.
If we have reached the point where riders are opting not to race, you have to ask how is it possible for organisers to justify continuing holding their events in prime-time TV slots in the mid-afternoon. Even if the health question isn’t critical (which it should be), at some point viewers will become frustrated that they’re not actually watching a race at times, just a procession, and the viewing figures will drop as a result. That in turn could affect the whole sponsorship model of a commercially-driven sport.
The much bigger question, though, is how this will affect riders’ health, rather than (in the long-term) their wallets. The consequences of going outside and engaging in full-on exercise at times when the general population is being told to stay indoors and avoid the heat are clearly not positive.
A change of timetable doesn’t have to be all year round, either, only in the summer months. And it wouldn’t need to be for an entire route, either, only for stages in those most affected by or at risk of hotter weather. But given the way finishes of Grand Tours seem to be happening later and later in the day, the Vuelta was a reminder that the need to review this situation is becoming critical. (AF)
A race without Tadej Pogačar isn’t necessarily more compelling, but this one was
Pogačar finished ahead of Mas to win stage 6 before crashing out two days later (Image credit: Getty Images)
Nothing affected this year’s Vuelta as much as Tadej Pogačar crashing out on stage 8 while already leading the GC by a huge margin. It completely changed the complexion of how the stages after, and the race for the red jersey, played out on the road to Granada.
With no Pogačar, it meant UAE Team Emirates-XRG, the men’s peloton’s top team, were reduced to more of a background role, often the first team signing on at the stage starts, and fighting for breakaways to try and win another stage after their great leader had departed. While the likes of Kevin Vermaerke and last year’s Vuelta runner-up João Almeida were active throughout, they were unable to take a victory, feeling the presence of a lack of Pogačar almost as much as their competitors.
While no one would wish it on him, with the Slovenian gone, it meant an almost certain race for the podium at a maximum suddenly turned into a race for the overall victory, with Enric Mas inheriting the jersey.
Now the theory for much of the cycling world is not having the sport’s best rider immediately means a better race: without him dominating, the level of everyone else should, on paper, be much closer, making for a close fought GC battle and potentially more compelling race for the overall title.
That wasn’t strictly how it played out on the road, with Mas – although facing several accelerations from his rivals – never really in trouble after stage 9, when he conquered Alto de Aitana to really earn his place at the top of the standings.
Felix Gall and Decathlon CMA CGM tried, but never really looked like distancing the Spaniard, and while the presence of four-time winner Primož Roglič meant that Mas’ victory was not to be called certain until the end of the last mountain stage, the Slovenian never really make significant inroads, only gaining time during the stage 18 time trial. And even on that day, Red Bull were probably hoping to gain a minute more than the 33 seconds they did in Jerez.
While, yes, it was exciting in many ways to see someone new at the top, and a home Spanish rider to electrify the crowd, the racing wasn’t necessarily more compelling just because the pre-race favourite wasn’t there.
However, where you could massively see the benefits of a race without Pogačar was on stage 20. The crazy breakaway fight that unfolded en route to the Collado del Alguacil, where all of the top riders in the GC had at least three guys up the road as satellite riders, is a day where you easily could’ve seen UAE Team Emirates-XRG controlling the race for a Pogačar long-range solo.
Did any major GC changes happen to the podium? No, but the way Richard Carapaz approached the finale was some of the most thrilling racing of the season, completely lighting up almost all of the brutal climbs in Andalucia and threatening to undo the work of Mas, Roglič, and Gall to be in the positions they were.
It’s hard to imagine a world where that stage plays out again as it did if the Slovenian and his usually all-consuming team were there to “ruin” it. That said, while the previous mountain days to Calar Alto and Peñas Blancas did provide similarly exciting breakaway wins to that of Mikel Landa on stage 20, the lack of GC action in those finales really points to where no Pogačar doesn’t equally equal a better GC race to watch.
But again, it’s likely he would have won all of the mountain days on offer in the final 13 stages, if not at least half of them, and would this have been such a great edition without the coming-of-age for his compatriot Jakob Omrzel, Eddie Dunbar’s emotional comeback victory, and maybe the most popular Grand Tour win in the 2020s with Landa conquering the queen stage after the worst year of his career? The answer is clear on this occasion. (JM)
Matthew Brennan has made a breakthrough to remember
Matthew Brennan celebrates winning his fifth stage of the Vuelta a España on debut (Image credit: Getty Images)
From the times of Miguel Indurain and Tony Rominger all the way through to Tadej Pogačar the Vuelta a España is often seen as the blast-off point for contenders for Grand Tour overall success. But the long line of top fast men and all-rounders who have also made Spain a major milestone prior to heading for greater things in France and Italy in Grand Tours and beyond is also a long one, and the most recent names to do that include Jasper Philipsen, Michael Matthews, Kaden Groves, John Degenkolb and Caleb Ewan.
We can now, very definitely, add Matthew Brennan to that list. His debut Grand Tour netted the Briton a staggering total of five stage victories, at 21, the youngest ever rider to do so in a single three-week stage race.
All of this creates a considerable amount of hype, but perhaps what justifies it the most is not the total number of triumphs in itself but how Brennan won those stages and on what kind of terrain.
One was uphill (stage 2), others pan-flat (stage 11 and 17), others after hard days racing through hilly terrain (stage 5). That he could win this way over three weeks is also hugely encouraging, given he’d never raced so far in his career and on such a variety of terrain. To go the distance in the toughest Vuelta on record only lends even more credibility to his bid to earn a place in the Visma line-up for the Tour de France for 2027.
His versatility further adds to that possible presence at the Edinburgh Grand Départ next July, not his fast finishes in all kinds of terrain. Brennan also proved himself a huge asset in Wout van Aert’s stage wins and in the breakaways. He fought a superb two-hander with the Belgian en route to his first Vuelta stage win in Loja, and provided an extra card to play in tricky Classics-style finishes like Granada.
That clear chemistry with Van Aert and Christophe Laporte could prove invaluable in all sorts of scenarios in the Tour, be it fighting for a win or helping Jonas Vingegaard in the more technical finales. And that adaptable approach could be what tips the scales in his favour for next summer. But either way, what Brennan achieved in this year’s Vuelta is one hell of a calling card. (AF)
Primož Roglič is still good enough to go with the best, him racing in 2027 would only be a plus for the peloton
Primož Roglič completes the final stage to finish second overall (Image credit: Getty Images)
Primož Roglič was spotted waving goodbye to several people at the finish of this year’s Vuelta a España, so of course, one of the first questions he was asked in his press conference was whether he would ever be coming back to the Vuelta. Within that lies also the question marks over whether he will retire before 2027, or indeed continue his career on a new team, of which no concrete information has really come out as of yet.
Roglič gave an answer in his typical fashion: “Yeah, I mean maybe, you don’t know in what kind of condition or shape I come to the Vuelta, just to watch or whatever a place, but we will see. It’s still anyway then one year till the next Vuelta where the future will bring us.”
So it remains that while the door on his career appears to be nearing closure, it is still ajar and there is a side of him that wants to continue on, in some capacity. But what this Vuelta has confirmed is that it would be a great shame if he were to stop – aside from the humour and humility he brings to the racing, Roglič is still right up there as a Grand Tour contender.
Yes, he wasn’t able to overturn Enric Mas’ lead and take a record fifth red jersey home, but second place after the preparation he had is quite stunning. Knocked off his bike by a driver in training on July 31, Roglič went 10 days completely off the bike and admitted that he only really took the start because it was in his adopted home of Monaco.
But as the first two weeks unfolded, it became clear that signs of the veteran’s best were still in there, and while he lacked the ruthlessness and legs to take multiple stage wins and have a strong hold on the red jersey, he still played a vital role in what developed into a fascinating GC race.
When you consider the injuries he suffered and suboptimal approach into the race, it suggests that Roglič with a clean run-in to his big targets still has the capacity to perform as an elite climber and time triallist, but he will hope with everything that he can avoid another setback.
Losing Roglič to retirement would be a great loss for cycling, and for whatever team he ends up at for 2027, hopefully they can turn his final few Grand Tours into events where we see the former dominant Slovenian delivering a deserved final hurrah on the biggest stage. (JM)
Beware anyone who isn’t Belgian, because it looks like Wout van Aert is coming for the World Championship title in Montreal
Wout van Aert winning stage 13 of the Vuelta (Image credit: Getty Images)
Wout van Aert has long been a rider for the Grand Tours; he is also an elite one-day Classics racer, but with his versatility and three weeks to apply his talents to the Vuelta a España, we got to see the very best of the Belgian once again in Spain.
Not only did he win two stages, both from all-out brawls in the breakaway, Van Aert also played a key role in delivering Matthew Brennan to his five stage wins on debut as star lead-out rider and in chasing down any attacks that tried to catch out the young Brit.
Van Aert finished in the top 10 of nine stages this edition, and his constant efforts to get in the breakaway saw him win the green jersey, redeeming the disappointment he had suffered two years prior when wearing the exact same jersey and having crashed out of the 2024 Vuelta, but also taking home the supercombativity prize.
It’s not to say Van Aert hasn’t been impressive in recent Grand Tours, winning incredible stages to Siena at the Giro last year, and dropping Tadej Pogačar to win in Paris at the 2025 Tour de France, but this level of leaving his mark on almost every day throughout the race is a return the Van Aert of old between 2020 and 2023.
And it’s come at the perfect time with the World Championships just around the corner. With this type of form and set to join up with Remco Evenepoel on a star-studded Belgium team, rivals of Van Aert should be worried.
Not only was he riding well in the sprints, but Van Aert delivered another epic ride from the breakaway on stage 20 to almost chase down Santiago Buitrago in the Kind of the Mountains classification, but mostly help Sepp Kuss jump from 11th to 5th overall as Visma pulled off an elite raid.
September 27 will bring his first appearance at the Worlds road race since 2023, where he was second behind Mathieu van der Poel. With an ominous showing of form and the liberation of his Paris-Roubaix win earlier in the season, it looks like the best chance for Van Aert to try and claim the rainbow jersey he has long wanted and several times already come close to capturing. (JM)
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