Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do. - Andrew Carnegie
Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España
- September 12: Memorial Marco Pantani
Upcoming racing:
- September 13: GP de Montréal
- September 13: GP de Fourmies
- September 13: Trofeo Matteotti
Latest completed racing:
- September 11: GP de Québec
- September 10: Coppa Sabatini
- 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 Eddie Dunbar's Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team:
Eddie Dunbar delivered the first Grand Tour stage victory in the history of Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team on Friday, conquering Stage 19 of La Vuelta a España at Peñas Blancas at the end of an extraordinary collective performance.
Thomas Gloag finished third and Spanish Road Champion Marcel Camprubí fifth, placing three Pinarello Q36.5 riders inside the top five on one of the hardest days of this year’s race.
It was more than a victory. It was a statement.
Eddie Dunbar wins Vuelta stage 19.
Across 210.8 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga to the summit finish at Peñas Blancas, the Team raced with intent, numbers and precision. After coming close repeatedly throughout La Vuelta, Pinarello Q36.5 committed fully to one of its final opportunities — and converted it.
From controlling the opening phase to placing Dunbar, Gloag and Camprubí at the sharp end of the decisive move, the race was shaped by collective execution. When the road finally pointed towards the 18.7-kilometre final ascent to Peñas Blancas, all three were still there.
Then came the winning move.
Santiago Buitrago attacked inside the final two kilometres, but Dunbar had kept one last effort in reserve. The Irishman responded, closed the gap and powered past the Colombian inside the final kilometre before driving all the way to the line.
Behind him, Gloag completed a superb ride to take third while Camprubí crossed the line fifth.
First. Third. Fifth.
And, above all, a first-ever Grand Tour stage victory for Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
The victory carries particular weight for Dunbar after a 2026 season dramatically reshaped by injury.
His original spring programme had been built around the Giro d’Italia, but after a difficult Paris-Nice, Dunbar was involved in an accident with a scooter while riding his city bike in Monaco on 12 March.
The ankle injury that followed left his leg immobilised and kept him completely off the bike for seven weeks. The Giro disappeared from his programme and what had been a season built around racing became one built around rehabilitation, patience and simply getting back on the bike.
Months later, on the roads of La Vuelta, that long road back ended with another Grand Tour victory.
For Dunbar, it is his third career stage victory at La Vuelta following his memorable double in 2024, when he won Stage 11 in Padrón before conquering Picón Blanco on Stage 20.
“It was really fast right from the start. We were doing 50 or 60 kilometres an hour for a lot of it and, to be honest, I didn’t feel good initially. I told the guys in the peloton that I wasn’t feeling great and that it probably wasn’t going to be my day.
“Then on the climb I saw a lot of riders starting to go backwards and that gave me a bit of a boost. Once the group came across with Thomas and Marcel, it was great to have them there and we worked really well together.
“Marcel made sure we were fuelled going into the final climb and Thomas and I were both really strong. When Buitrago attacked, I knew I had one good effort in me, so I saved it for the right moment.
“Thankfully, it worked out.”
Sports Director Alex Sans Vega described the stage as the culmination of an approach the Team had been building towards for several days.
With the remaining opportunities becoming increasingly limited, the objective for Stage 19 had been clear well before the flag dropped.
“We saw today as one of our last real opportunities to win a stage at this Vuelta and the riders were completely focused on it — not just this morning, but already for several days.
“The first part was mostly flat, which was not ideal for the riders we wanted to put into the race, but the whole team helped us keep the situation under control until the first long climb. From there the race opened up.
“Once Thomas made it across to the front group and Marcel joined shortly afterwards, we committed completely. We knew exactly which groups we could allow back into the race and which ones we could not, and the guys executed that perfectly.
“On the final climb, Thomas and Eddie spoke to each other and were able to alternate their moves because both of them still had the legs. In the end it worked perfectly for Eddie.
“It was a huge performance by the whole team and I think we earned this. Nobody gave us anything. The commitment these riders have shown since the beginning of La Vuelta has been incredible, and today they got the reward they deserved.”
Pinarello Q36.5 arrived at La Vuelta with a simple brief: hunt stages, race aggressively and take opportunities.
For three weeks, the Team attacked that objective relentlessly. There were breakaways, top results and days when the difference between coming close and winning was brutally small.
On Stage 19, there was no near miss.
There was a victory.
There were three riders in the top five.
And there was a piece of Team history.
Content continues below the ads
Here's the Vuelta report from Oscar Onley's Team Netcompany INEOS:
Oscar Onley retained fifth place overall at the Vuelta a Espana following an assured climbing performance on stage 19.
The Scot was able to comfortably follow the acceleration of Primoz Roglic (Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe) with two kilometres to go, as the top-five of the race went clear together.
Oscar Onley before the start of Vuelta stage 17. Sirotti photo
The GC contenders would all cross the line in lock-step atop Peñas Blancas, with Onley retaining his position and the white jersey.
Eddie Dunbar (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) prevailed from the day's 16-man breakaway move, taking the stage 5:11 ahead of the GC leaders.
Enric Mas (Movistar) retained the red jersey ahead of Saturday's huge day of climbing, as the final weekend begins with a tough test.
Netcompany INEOS once again rallied around Onley on the day, with Axel Laurance and Carlos Rodriguez setting the tempo at points, while Jack Haig offered lasting support on the final first-category ascent.
A late dig from sixth-placed Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain-Victorious) provided no issues for Onley, who would take a further six seconds at the line on his closest white jersey rival.
Content continues below the ads
Here's the Vuelta report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Sepp Kuss made a strong impression in stage 19 of the Vuelta a España. The American climbed with the best on the slopes of Peñas Blancas and crossed the finish line in 19th place. Breakaway rider Eddie Dunbar took the stage victory.
The 19th stage took the peloton from Vélez-Málaga to Peñas Blancas, an 18-kilometer first-category climb where the finish line was located. Early in the stage, the battle was on for a spot in the breakaway. Steven Kruijswijk and Jørgen Nordhagen were among those who tried to make the move, but their efforts were not rewarded.
Halfway through the stage, 16 riders managed to break clear of the peloton. The group was given the green light and was allowed to fight for the stage victory. On the slopes of the final climb, the breakaway split apart, leaving four riders at the front. Dunbar ultimately proved to be the strongest of the group.
Wout van Aert remains the points classification leader. Sirotti photo
There was little action among the GC contenders. Aside from an acceleration by Primož Roglič, the GC riders did not make any significant moves. "We got through the day well", sports director Maarten Wynants said. "We did everything we could to get Sepp into the breakaway, but the top five riders in the GC did not give him any room. We’re now looking ahead to the next two stages, where there is still a lot that can happen. Tomorrow, we’ll try again with Sepp."
Content continues below the ads
Here's the team's news:
NSN Cycling is excited to welcome Artem Shmidt on a three-year contract from 2027, adding one of the peloton’s promising time trial talents and a versatile engine for the Classics and stage races to the team’s roster.
Shmidt will join NSN Cycling with a clear role in the team’s long-term sporting plans as a clear time trial specialist and a card to play in the Classics but, as General Manager Kjell Carlström highlights, the best is very much still to come for Shmidt.
Artem Schmidt wins the 2026 Classique Dunkerque
“Artem Shmidt is one of the most exciting talents to come out of the US in recent years and we believe he represents a rider profile we don’t currently have in the team,” explains Carlström.
“Artem already has some very clear qualities, particularly in the time trial, but what excites us is how much more he can develop over the next three seasons. He only has two seasons in the WorldTour to his name and already he has shown great potential so a big objective for us is to continue facilitating that development and see just how far he can go in one-day and stage races.
“At just 22-years-old, Artem has a long career ahead and his signing is part of the team’s ongoing commitment to signing young talent and really finding a balance in our roster between youth and experience.”
The two-time US time trial champion scored a breakthrough win on the road this year with victory in testing conditions at the one-day Classic Dunkerque. A sign of what is to come for Shmidt with NSN Cycling Team, a team he believes is the right fit.
“There were many things that stood out to me about NSN Cycling Team,” says Shmidt. “The professionalism and the way the team came across in our meetings were important but what really made an impact was the culture. The English-speaking environment and the atmosphere in the team were big factors for me and the racing style is more my type of beat. Being up the road, attacking, and on that front foot is the mentality that we share.”
Shmidt is looking forward to getting stuck into the upcoming season with his sights set on a Grand Tour debut.
“I really look forward to seeing what potential I can reach with NSN,” adds Shmidt. “I’ve already shown some strengths in the time trial and I want to keep developing further and hopefully become one of the favorites in that category.
“In terms of my development in the road racing, I believe NSN is the perfect team for me to develop an aggressive and opportunistic racing style and really sharpen those characteristics I have shown as a rider. My big objectives will naturally be the time trials and spring Classics, but I would love to do my first Grand Tour.”