All articles tagged with #grand tours
Pogacar revisits the Vuelta—the race that helped launch his career—as a far more calculated rider. After a Tour-dominant 2026 season and a UAE plan focused on mental freshness, he heads into his second Vuelta start with eyes on the last Grand Tour missing from his collection and a potential Grand Tour triple crown, facing rivals Roglic, Gall, Carapaz, and Onley as the race starts in his adopted Monaco.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG performance head Jeroen Swart says the Vuelta a España 2026 will be the toughest in years, with over 58,000 meters of elevation, meaning the race will be grueling even for Tadej Pogačar. The plan centers on keeping Pogačar mentally fresh (and peaking after the Tour) while navigating a brutal first week with high mountains; the UAE team aims to balance aggressive early GC moves with potential conservatism later to protect form for the World Championships. Domination is unlikely; the focus is on getting the job done and maximizing his chances wherever the route dictates.
Tadej Pogacar, a five-time Tour de France winner, will ride the Vuelta a Espana aiming to complete cycling’s Grand Tour treble by becoming the ninth rider to win all three majors after his 2024 Giro d’Italia triumph; the race runs Aug 22–Sep 13 from Monaco to Granada, 21 stages, and Pogacar—27 and a dominant World Tour performer this year—will be the favourite after finishing 3rd at the Vuelta in 2019.
Specialized has unveiled the S-Works Tarmac SL9, calling it the fastest road bike ever thanks to a new aero package, a deeper fork, a narrower head tube, the Win Fin rear, and the S-Works Rapide seatpost, with about a 4-watt gain at 45 kph and a weight near 6.8 kg in flagship form. Its race simulations claim the SL9 finishes ahead of rivals like Colnago Y1Rs and Cervélo S5 on a representative Grand Tour 100 km course under its time-to-finish metric, though Cervélo is slightly more aero on CdA. The range runs six builds from roughly £3,999/$4,500/€4,499 to £11,999/$14,000/€13,999.
Jonas Vingegaard cried with happiness after winning the Giro d'Italia in Rome, becoming one of eight riders to win all three Grand Tours; he celebrated with his family on the podium and said the achievement surpassed his dreams, before taking a few days in Rome to rest and then turning attention to the Tour de France in five weeks.
Jonas Vingegaard will contest the Giro d'Italia in 2026 as part of Visma-Lease a Bike’s plan to pursue a Giro-Tour double, with team officials arguing that racing the Giro will boost his form for the Tour de France.
American cyclist Sepp Kuss, known for his role as a water carrier, won the Vuelta a España, one of the three major "grand tours" in road cycling. Kuss, who has dedicated his career to supporting other cyclists, emerged as the unexpected winner of the challenging race, beating out top contenders. His victory highlights the crucial role of water carriers in the sport and showcases his talent as an elite climber.