La Vuelta 2026 ***Spoilers***

[No Ta Doctor]

For me this was the Vuelta of the stagnant GC. Pog was clearly on top until his exit, then pretty much Mas, Rog, Gall to the end. Rog & Gall seemed to accept their podium fate fairly early. Brennan was very good, and there were some highlights, but well...

I think the lack of big movement in the GC was more or less down to the riders being in the right positions already, not lack of effort. There were some decent battles, but Gall couldn't drop Mas, but did drop Roglic, Roglic decided to wait it out, hang on in there and get his time on GC. Kuss dropped out and dropped back in again, Onley had a bad day, Skjelmose had a bad fortnight, Carapaz did his best and the rest was more or less the sort of mix you'd expect. If anything the biggest surprise was Mas's form (though Mas in the Vuelta has always been a different beast) and that nobody from Movistar tried to attack him (they rode very well, and with hindsight the decision to drop Nairo looks well justified)

 

[wakemalcolm]

I don't really have an issue either as it's not dis-similar to the current 5 km rule.
HOWEVER, it needs to be set out in the race rules before the event starts, and not a last minute decision.
They also should say that the first 20, 30, 40 or whatever kms of the final stage are neutralised too, for the photos and champagne sipping etc, and then the race is on properly.

Agree, if I'm playing any kind of game, I want the rules established before I start playing, not during. They've got plenty of time to complete a risk assessment beforehand so unless something materially changed, which didn't, then stick to the plan.

As it happened there was no chance of a change to any of the overall outcomes of the race but if Gall or Roglic had been had been hard charging and only a few seconds behind, the stench would have been unbearable.

Although integrity, trumps my opinion, my preference would have been to race the 21st stage but extend the crash exemption zone to the entire last lap.

 

[Dogtrousers]

(they rode very well, and with hindsight the decision to drop Nairo looks well justified)

I'd forgotten all about that. Seems ages ago.

 

[Alex321]

Imagine stooping to football forum levels of insults to get your point across...... embarrassing.

If he has to ask why it is different on the last lap to the last but one, then he doesn't.

 

[Alex321]

Agree, if I'm playing any kind of game, I want the rules established before I start playing, not during. They've got plenty of time to complete a risk assessment beforehand so unless something materially changed, which didn't, then stick to the plan.

As it happened there was no chance of a change to any of the overall outcomes of the race but if Gall or Roglic had been had been hard charging and only a few seconds behind, the stench would have been unbearable.

Although integrity, trumps my opinion, my preference would have been to race the 21st stage but extend the crash exemption zone to the entire last lap.

If there had been, they probably wouldn't have neutralised it. I think it was neutralised to avoid the risk of crashes changing an out come that otherwise wasn't going to on the last day.

 

[phreak]

For me this was the Vuelta of the stagnant GC. Pog was clearly on top until his exit, then pretty much Mas, Rog, Gall to the end. Rog & Gall seemed to accept their podium fate fairly early. Brennan was very good, and there were some highlights, but well...

I recall the Giro being much the same, even down to a lot of the mountain stages having the same finishing order. Is this a consequence of the data age, that people don't have bad days or variable performance anymore? It's become a bit like a Zwift race (although obviously not as fast).

 

[Blazing Saddles]

If he has to ask why it is different on the last lap to the last but one, then he doesn't.

I hope that others understood the context of my post.
I will leave it there.

 

[ivegotabike]

It is way too early to say anything like this really.

But if Matt Brennan gets into the Tour de France next year and starts winning stages at 21 years old, that will be 2 years younger than Cavendish was when he won his first stage.


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RKrXajJsT3Y

 

[Dogtrousers]

It is way too early to say anything like this really.

But if Matt Brennan gets into the Tour de France next year and starts winning stages at 21 years old, that will be 2 years younger than Cavendish was when he won his first stage.

True but if it did happen it wouldn't necessarily be a Matt Brennan thing, it could well be a "riders are getting results at a younger age in general" thing.

 

[mididoctors]

Just to expand on this point slightly. I know the Nice finish to the Tour in 2024 was a GC day as it was a Time Trial, but what if it was the same circuit as there was in the women's TDF this year (i.e. laps of the Col d'Eze)? Would that have been an OK way to finish a Grand Tour?

I agree about the "de facto 20 day race" as a concept, but then that's where I say this should be written in the rules. The sport is by definition abitrary, so we can avoid the bad look of last minute changes by saying from the start "this is what the rules are"

That was an epic days racing .

 

[M.R.M]

True but if it did happen it wouldn't necessarily be a Matt Brennan thing, it could well be a "riders are getting results at a younger age in general" thing.

It might be both, as he does seem to be a very special rider.

 

[phreak]

It is way too early to say anything like this really.

But if Matt Brennan gets into the Tour de France next year and starts winning stages at 21 years old, that will be 2 years younger than Cavendish was when he won his first stage.


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RKrXajJsT3Y

He could break Pogacar's Tour stage wins record.

 

[wakemalcolm]

He could break Pogacar's Tour stage wins record.

Chapeau! At least 3 bold predictions in 1 short sentence.

 

[MadMalx]

He could break Pogacar's Tour stage wins record.

How often does this type of statement come round? I definitely remember it being said in Cav’s early career (vs Merckx) and about Pog even before Cav got there. I don’t remember any others, maybe van Aert at his peak winning year.

 

[T4tomo]

I think we can wait until he regularly beating Philipsen & Merlier before getting over excited. I do think he's very good though.