Vuelta 2026 Week 1

The first stage may have indicated what is to come and who was in what form with the winner being somewhat predictable. Quick times were being set by multiple riders before Callum Thornley set out and set the fastest time just before Joshua Tarling set off, one of the favourites for the stage and racing in memory of his younger brother. Tarling would set the fastest time only for it to be bettered by Ethan Hayter by 4 seconds over the 9.4km course. After he had set that time riders from Great Britain were holding the 3 fastest times. That didn't last as Tadej Pogacar won the stage by 0.09 seconds while Roglic finished 22 seconds down.

Stage 2 was the first proper road stage with a breakaway being formed and staying out front for a while before it broke up. Ethan Hayter was the last to be caught after going solo and picking up points in the points classification. Everything came back together before Wout van Aert attacked followed by Tadej Pogacar. The duo were caught before the line and it came down to a sprint finish with Matthew Brennan winning. The only change in classification leaders was in the youth classification with Brennan taking the lead.

The third stage was the first mountain one. The break were able to get a gap and Ethan Hayter was there again hunting for more points. Late on in the stage the weather took a turn and it started to hail and thunder. A few riders took refuge from the weather at first and eventually the peloton sought refuge in a hotel and the stage was neutralised.

Stage 4 became the first mountain stage to be finished and with a distance of only 105km it was a short one. At about halfway through the stage the GC group was already starting to form and Tadej Pogacar attacked and went clear. Felix Gall tried to follow but was brought back by the GC group. The group of 6 finished 2:39 down on Pogacar with Jarno Widar (Lotto Intermarché) outsprinting Felix Gall for second place on the stage. Oscar Onley took the lead in the youth classification while Pogacar still leads the other three.

The fifth stage looked to be a sprint finish despite it being classed as a hilly stage. Favourites including Mads Pedersen and Kaden Groves were dropped on the cat 3 climb. UAE controlled the race before Visma Lease a bike took over and controlled the finish. Other teams tried to form sprint trains but were unsuccessful and Matthew Brennan took his second stage of the race. Tadej Pogacar remained first in the points classification while Brennan moved into second.

Stage 6 was a GC day with Tadej Pogacar and Enric Mas crossing the finish line together in 1st and 2nd. Enric Mas was initially dropped by Pogacar but managed to come back and drop the other GC riders before losing the sprint for the line. Mas was able to move into second on GC with Roglic moving down a place. Carapaz and Gall were able to move up 2 places each with Onley and Kuss going down. Still plenty more action to come, not everythign is decided in the first week.

The breakaway finally got their chance on stage 7 with Uno-X Mobility taking a 1-2 at the end of the stage. Wout van Aert crossed in third on the mountain stage while wearing the green jersey on loan from Pogacar and managed to secure it for himself. There were some time gaps further down between the riders with Pogacar gaining a few seconds on everyone and Enric Mas putting more time into Primoz Roglic.

Stage 8 came down to a bunch sprint won by Bryan Coquard after a solo breakaway for most of the stage by Sinuhe Fernandez. What should have been an easy and relaxing stage for the GC riders turned out differently with Tadej POgacar crashing out of the race while in red. UAE all crossed the line together 11 minutes down on the winner and Enric Mas showed his respect by not wearing the red jersey on the podium.

Stage 9 was another mountain stage and with the GC race having been blown wide open it was a chance for riders to make their moves and start fighting for the top places. The breakaway were initially given a gap of 6 minutes but by the last climb it had splintered and the GC contenders were closing it quickly. Pavel Sivakov was the last to be caught and passed from the break. Oscar Onley and Enric Mas were both able to drop Primoz Roglic in the last few kilometres of the stage and Enric Mas won the stage. Felix Gall lost time but held on to his place in the fight for red.

Classification Leaders after week 1:

General: Enric Mas (Movistar Team)

Points: Wout Van Aert (Team Visma Lease a Bike)

Youth: Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS)

KOM: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain - Victorious)

Teams: Decathlon CMR CGM Team

Stage winners: Stage 1: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG)

Stage 2: Matthew Brennan (Visma Lease a bike) Stage 3: NR Stage 4: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) Stage 5: Matthew Brennan (Visma Lease a bike)

Stage 6: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) Stage 7: Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) Stage 8: Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) Stage 9: Enric Mas (Movistar Team)

Abandons

(DNF Stage 2) Sergio Geovani Chumil - Burgos Burpellet BH

(DNF Stage 3) Alex Kirsch - Cofidis

(DNS Stage 5) Cian Uijtdebroeks - Movistar

(DNF Stage 5) Roel Van Sintmaartensdijk - Lotto Intermarche

(DNF Stage 6) Markel Beloki - EF Education EasyPost (DNF Stage 6) Joshua Tarling - Netcompany INEOS

(DNS Stage 8) Luca Van Boven - Lotto Intermarche (DNF Stage 8) Tadej Pogacar - UAE Team Emirates XRG (DNF Stage 8) Mattia Gaffuri - Team Picnic PostNL

(DNF Stage 8) Floris Van Tricht - NSN Cycling Team (DNF Stage 8) Diego Uriarte - Equipo Kern Pharma

(DNF Stage 9) Kaden Groves - Alpecin-Premier Tech (DNF Stage 9) Victor Langelotti - XDS Astana Team

(DNF Stage 9) Pablo Torres - UAE Team Emirates XRG Riders Remaining: 170