Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, September 10, 2026
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Current racing:
- August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España
- September 10: Coppa Sabatini
Upcoming racing:
- September 11: GP de Québec
- September 12: Memorial Marco pantani
- September 13: GP de Montréal
- September 13: GP de Fourmies
- September 13: Trofeo Matteotti
Latest completed racing:
- September 9: Giro della Toscana
- September 2 - 6: Tour of Britain
- September 2 - 6: ZLM Tour
- September 6: GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
- August 30: Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
- August 25 - 28: Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
- August 19 - 23: Renewi Tour
- August 18 - 21: Tour du Limousin-Périgord
- August 13 - 18: Arctic Race of Norway
- August 16: Cyclassics Hamburg
- August 16: La Polynormande
- August 3 - 9: Tour of Poland
- August 4 - 8: Vuelta a Burgos
- July 29 - August 2: Tour of Denmark
- August 2: Circuito de Getxo
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Matthew Brennan's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Matthew Brennan made history in the seventeenth stage of the Vuelta a España with his fifth victory. As a result, Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s tally rises to seven wins. Never before has the team recorded so many victories in a single Grand Tour.
Stage 17 winner Matthew Brennan. Sirotti photo
“Another fantastic victory. We’re making history today”, Brennan beams after the finish. With its seventh stage victory in the Vuelta a España, Team Visma | Lease a Bike has broken their own record set at the 2022 Tour de France and 2026 Giro d’Italia, both of which yielded six victories. “We came here as a team to win stages, but we never dreamed of winning seven. Today, we had another opportunity to win and we grabbed it with both hands. That’s really special.”
All eyes were already on Brennan before the start. Wednesday’s 181-kilometer stage was considered the flattest of this Vuelta a España. Two attackers went clear early on and built up a sizeable lead, but they never appeared to pose a serious threat to the sprint trains. Once Enzo Paleni, the last remaining breakaway rider, was caught on the streets of Seville, it was time for Wout van Aert and Brennan. The Belgian moved his sprinter into a good position by joining the Team Uno-X Mobility train, after which Brennan finished the job in impressive fashion.
The 21-year-old Brit is now the youngest rider ever to win five stages in a single Grand Tour. “I’m incredibly grateful to the team for that. Wout was constantly by my side in the final and really guided me through it. Five stage victories in my first Grand Tour, it’s absolutely incredible. To be honest, I still can’t believe it. This is a real team effort”, Brennan says.
“Today, my main task was to position Matthew well. I’m happy he finished it off”, Van Aert explains. The Belgian, who has also claimed two stage victories himself, could hardly contain his delight at the team’s new record of seven wins. “The atmosphere in the team is incredible. It’s a great feeling to see everyone give one hundred percent to win stages. That’s hugely motivating. This is a very special milestone for the whole team.”
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Here's the Vuelta report from stage 17 fifth-place Steffen De Schuyteneer's Team Lotto-Intermarché:
Steffen De Schuyteneer sprinted to a strong fifth place today in the seventeenth stage of the Vuelta a España. In the 185-kilometre stage from Dos Hermanas to Seville, the race ended in the expected sprint finish. Despite some difficulties in the finale, De Schuyteneer fought his way back to the front and eventually sprinted to fifth place in his first Grand Tour.
The stage 17 finish. Steffen De Schuyteneer is on the far right. Sirotti photo
“Three kilometres from the finish, I had a small issue on a short cobbled section, which meant I had to find my way back to Vito (Braet) and Lars (Craps) on my own. Reuben (Thompson) had already done a really good job before that. In the finale, I lost them again, but luckily Lorenzo (Rota) then did his best to bring me back to the front.”
As a result, De Schuyteneer had to come from a long way back in the final metres. “In the last corner, I came through in around 20th position, which was actually a little too far back for me. I knew I had to move up as quickly as possible and managed to squeeze through to launch my sprint. In the end, I started a little too late, but because I had so much speed coming from behind, I still managed to finish fifth.”
After a hectic finale, De Schuyteneer was pleased with his performance. “I have mixed feelings because I felt there might have been more in it, but after the crash and the difficult days, I’m definitely happy with this result and grateful for the great work from the team.”
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Here's the Vuelta report from sixth-place Axel Laurance's Team Netcompany INEOS:
Axel Laurance sprinted to sixth in a closely-contested bunch kick in Sevilla which was won by Matthew Brennan (Visma Lease-a-Bike).
Laurance made a late attack in the closing kilometres to try and catch out the Visma Lease-a-Bike and Uno-X sprint trains, was caught and brought back into the peloton, but still was able to contest the sprint.
Oscar Onley retained fifth overall as his Netcompany INEOS teammates guided him safely through a hectic finale which saw the pace ramp up to catch the early break.
Oscar Onley before the start of stage 17. Sirotti photo
After the stage, Onley looked ahead to Thursday's time trial, anticipating the 32km course will shake-up the general classification.
He said: “It’s quite flat and there will be a lot of time in TT position. If can definitely create gaps. Any TT can cause gaps on GC and this TT being 32km can create some big gaps between riders.”
And here's the Vuelta report from Alberto Dainese's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Wednesday afternoon, the bunch travelled to Sevilla, home to a stunning Gothic cathedral which houses the famous tomb of Christopher Columbus, whose voyages to the Americas more than five centuries ago reshaped the world.
When it came to the general classification of the race, however, the stage didn’t change anything, as it was one of the most flat and quiet of this edition, animated by just two riders until the final kilometers, when the peloton brought them back. Alberto Dainese concluded once again as the first Soudal Quick-Step rider home, just outside the top ten on this stage won by Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Stage 17 gets started. Sirotti photo
The last Grand Tour continues on Thursday with one of the most important stages of the week, a 32.1km individual time trial to Jerez de la Frontera which promises to deliver a significant shake-up of the overall standings.
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We posted the report from winner Giulio Pellizzari's Team Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe with the results.
Here's the report from third-place Christian Scaroni's Team XDS Astana:
XDS Astana Team rider Christian Scaroni once again finished on the podium, taking third place today at the Italian one-day race Giro della Toscana. On the final climb of the day, 25 kilometers from the finish, Scaroni attacked from the group of favorites, which ultimately went on to fight for the victory.
Giulio Pellizzari took the win after attacking in the final kilometer. Christian Scaroni finished second in the sprint from the group and, as a result, took third place in the race.
Giulio Pellizzari wins the 2026 Giro della Toscana.
“The final climb was quite long, and I can’t say it suited me. However, thanks to the early attacks from other riders and the excellent work of my teammates, we rode almost the entire climb at a comfortable pace for me. Then, with one kilometer to go to the summit, I gave 100% to make it into the leaders’ group. I tried to save as much energy as possible for the finale and a possible sprint. When Pellizzari attacked, we couldn’t close the gap, and all that was left was to sprint for the podium. In the end, I took third place. Last year I wasn’t able to reach the podium, while this year everything worked out better. Of course, I would have liked to win. But we still have three more races ahead, we have a strong team, and we will be ready to fight in the coming days”, – said Christian Scaroni.