Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
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Current racing:
- September 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
Upcoming racing:
- September 16: GP de Wallonie
- September 16 - 20: Tour de Luxembourg
- September 18: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
Latest completed racing:
- August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España
- September 13: GP de Montréal
- September 13: GP de Fourmies
- September 13: Trofeo Matteotti
- September 12: Memorial Marco Pantani
- 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
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We posted several Vuelta reports yesterday.
Here's the Vuelta report from GC fourth-place Richard Carapaz's Team EF Education-EasyPost:
This evening [Sept 13], Richard Carapaz and his teammates celebrated the finish of the 2026 Vuelta a España by the Alhambra palace in Granada.
Juan Rodriguez, James Shaw, Darren Rafferty, Alastair MacKellar, Georg Steinhauser, and Vincenzo Albanese shared a toast with Richie to salute his fourth place on the general classification, which they achieved together over the past three weeks.
When this squad set off from Monaco at the start of the Vuelta, their goal was to get Richie onto the podium. Although they came one spot short, they are proud of the way that they raced across the whole grand tour, never giving up, as they launched attack after attack, flying the pink jersey off the front.
Richard Carapaz at the pre-race rider presentation ceremony. Sirotti photo
Juan Rodriguez and Alastair MacKellar shone in their first three-week race. The Vuelta was Juan's first-ever race as a WorldTour pro and he fast became Richie's right-hand man in the high mountains. His performance on Stage 20 was a revelation. Three weeks into his first grand tour, Juan climbed with the GC favorites on the race's hardest stage, leading Richie out again and again as he tried to crack them.
Alastair, James, Darren, and Georg each played key roles for Richie on the climbs as well, keeping him cool and out of the infernal wind for all of the key moments on a brutal race course. Vincenzo was Richie's man for the flats, helping him navigate a nervous peloton, day in and day out from Monaco to Granada. He also seized his own chances to sprint and came away with three top-10 finishes.
All in all, this squad has arrived in Granada with their heads held high. They raced together, like champions. Read their thoughts from the finish line in Granada.
Richard Carapaz:
"I think this Vuelta was a bit of a different race for us. We arrived with immense conviction and a clear, massive goal: to fight to win the race. That drive is what pushed us to battle every single day and keep the team riding up front at all times.
"After three weeks, finishing in fourth place is a truly well-deserved result. We fought relentlessly for it, always holding onto the ambition to win, and we attacked every chance we got. The team was flawless from start to finish—supporting me through every circumstance and laying everything on the line. From the Grand Départ in Monaco all the way to the finish here in Granada, everyone gave their absolute best. The team placed total faith in the ambitious project we set out with from day one.
"In racing, there is a very fine line between winning and losing, but being in contention requires relentless fight, and that is exactly what we delivered. Throughout these three weeks, the team showed true character; we never stopped trying whenever an opportunity arose. I leave very proud of my teammates, who performed spectacularly; of the directors, who worked tirelessly on every small tactical detail; and of the entire staff. They are the best in the business. Their work happens behind the scenes and often goes unseen, but without them, we simply wouldn't be here.
"It has been a Vuelta we thoroughly enjoyed. Every stage was a learning experience for all of us. Fighting for a Grand Tour is always incredibly tough; when you achieve the ultimate goal it's amazing, and when you fall just short, you keep pushing as long as the opportunity exists. Personally, I leave extremely happy with the team, proud of a fantastic Vuelta and a great season, and above all, proud that we showed the world our fighting spirit. It’s been an incredible three weeks."
Juan Rodriguez:
"It was a truly beautiful race. I’m very pleased with what we achieved throughout La Vuelta: how strong I felt heading into the final week, the sensations I had on the bike, and being able to support the team whenever they called on me. That came down to solid preparation. Finishing my first Grand Tour this way is deeply satisfying. I'm also really proud to be part of a team that shows day in, day out what it means to fight for a shared goal. We arrived with the ambition of making the podium, fought for it right down to the final stage, and left everything on the road. We keep fighting, we keep believing, and we’ll get right back to work for the next objectives."
James Shaw:
"All in all, a cracking three weeks out with the boys—plenty of laughs and good times had. Juanpe and Alastair ticked off their first Grand Tour, which they should be immensely proud of. I don’t think the final results reflect just how well we rode; we probably deserved a lot more. We executed the plans brilliantly, everyone fully committed to a single cause, and we never looked back. We went all-in for Richie right from the start like bulls in the ring, fighting as one team just as Juanma put it to us in our pre-race meeting. Solid execution all around, and next year we fight the bull again."
Darren Rafferty:
"It’s been an enjoyable three weeks. There were challenges along the way, but we got the best out of ourselves and came together as a squad to give everything for Richie. In the end, he delivered a very respectable fourth place. We gave it everything until the final day, and the whole team can be proud—staff and riders were fully committed from the start. On a personal level, doing two Grand Tours in a single year for the first time was tough; the body definitely felt fatigued on some days, but we supported each other whenever someone needed a lift. Fourth wasn't the podium we came for, but we left nothing behind, and that's all you can ask for."
Alastair MacKellar:
"Finishing my first Grand Tour is really special. Growing up in Australia, staying up late to watch European racing, a Grand Tour was always the ultimate dream. I used to wonder how on earth my body would survive three weeks, but you take it day by day, treat each stage like a one-day race, and eventually you get there—even if Monaco feels like it was two months ago!
"Having Richie as our leader for my first Grand Tour was incredible. He commands so much respect in the peloton, and being right up there on GC from week one made our jobs so much easier because we could control things from the front. Off the bike, he's exceptionally humble and easy to work for—he never demands things, so you actually have to go out of your way to check if he needs a bottle or extra support.
"The routine is brutal: waking up, two hours on the bus, six hours racing, three hours back on the bus, and eating dinner at 10 PM. But completing it proves to me that it's possible. As they say, you can't simulate a Grand Tour in training—it changes your physiology. Now that I have one under my belt heading into the off-season, I know it will make me a much stronger rider for the future."
Georg Steinhauser:
"It has been a demanding three weeks. Like any Grand Tour, it had plenty of highs and lows. Coming off the Tour, my legs felt like a roller coaster; some days were pure survival, while on others I was right up there supporting the team. Together, we gave it everything every single day to create opportunities for Richie. Finishing fourth overall is a great result, and we can all be proud of how we raced as a unit."
Vincenzo Albanese:
"I’m genuinely pleased with the experience of this Vuelta. I felt good, and as a team, we stayed united from start to finish. Fighting for the general classification was an incredible experience, and I also had a few opportunities to contest the sprints myself, so I’m quite satisfied. Overall, I’m taking away great feelings and the certainty that we did a solid job as a team."
Juanma Garate, sports director:
"From the moment we saw the route, we knew this Vuelta offered very little tactical room to maneuver. Stage 20 was really the only day suited for long-range strategic moves, but it came very late in the race.
"As soon as Richard finished the Tour the way he did and confirmed he wanted to target La Vuelta, our goal was clear: fight for the general classification. We knew the 32-kilometer flat time trial and the lack of tactical terrain would make a podium spot difficult to reach. It was an ambitious target, and once again, like in 2024, we missed out by just one place. Still, on the one day where there was a genuine opportunity to break the race open, the team executed the plan to perfection—we had almost the entire squad up front with total clarity. Looking at the final GC, the time gap seems large, but there was a decisive moment during that first ascent of Monachil that could have changed the entire outcome for us.
"Overall, my assessment is very positive. We saw a solid, aggressive Richard Carapaz racing on his own terms. Juan Felipe was a fantastic surprise; we knew his talent, but stepping straight up from the development squad to make his Grand Tour debut like this gives us huge optimism for the future. Alba arrived in superb shape and rode brilliantly, especially through the stage won by Van Aert and La Pandera, where digging that deep to contest the win inevitably brought on fatigue in the days that followed. James was outstanding and remarkably consistent from start to finish, riding at one of the highest levels I’ve seen from him. Darren, Georg, and Alastair had their ups and downs, but each stepped up in crucial moments and rebounded well from tough days. Losing Markel so early was a real blow, as his form from Tour de l'Ain and Burgos would have been invaluable.
"We didn't reach the podium, but we leave with our heads held high after a tremendous collective effort."
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Here's the final Vuelta report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Granada, the beautiful Andalusian city located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, home to the stunning Alhambra and an important wine growing region, is where the last Grand Tour of the season finished Sunday evening.
Soudal Quick-Step finished it with a resounding victory in the bag, brought by Mikel Landa after a fantastic display of strength and panache, which made The Wolfpack one of the most successful teams of the season in terms of Grand Tour stage wins, with a total of seven racked up by three different riders: Paul Magnier, Tim Merlier, and Mikel, who at 36 years of age became one of the oldest riders to score a victory in Vuelta.
Mikel Landa wins Vuelta stage twenty. Sirotti photo.
It was a Grand Tour where our squad was prominent from the first day, where Ethan Hayter finished runner-up in the Monaco individual time trial for the smallest of margins. During the next three weeks, Soudal Quick-Step continued to animate the race, getting involved in bunch sprints, going in breakaways, and getting closer and closer to a win, as shown by valentin Paret-Peintre impressive second place in Loja.
Sports director Sep Vanmarcke, who led the squad from the car in Spain, looked back on the team’s display at the Vuelta and highlighted their main strengths here.
“We had chances for a victory or a good result in many of the stages, and it was beautiful to see how everybody worked for each other, showing this beautiful camaraderie on a daily basis. We started off really well with Ethan, who came so close to taking a win and the red jersey. It was a bittersweet moment, but at the same time, good for the confidence to be up there. Ethan continued fighting in the next days and we got a lot of motivation from that start.”
“Valentin showed a great fighting spirit on the second week, where he came second after a great effort. That runner-up place was a confirmation that it was still possible to take a win, so we kept trying. We continued to believe right until the end, we kept doing our best and we showed that in the last week, when we finally got repaid for all our efforts. What Mikel did was really special. Everybody knows he has been struggling with injuries, but he is a great champion and showed his class. It was a win that came another superb team effort, everybody sacrificed for him and he delivered a big victory. It gave us all goosebumps and it was a proof that you should never give up before it’s finished. We can be proud of our fighting spirit in this Vuelta”, concluded Sep.
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Team Bahrain Victorious is pleased to announce the signing of Ibon Ruiz on a two-year contract. The 27-year-old Basque climber and breakaway specialist will join the the team for the 2027 season on a two-year deal.
Ruiz, born on January 30, 1999, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, has spent his entire career to date developing within Equipo Kern Pharma. Over recent seasons, he has built a strong reputation as an offensive, hard-working rider who regularly attacks on demanding hilly terrain and works in support of team ambitions.
His move to the highest level of professional cycling comes on the back of consistency and notable performances, including a victory at the Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes, and a runner-up finish on the overall classification at the Route d’Occitanie in 2026. These results demonstrate his ability to contend alongside top-tier climbers on high-altitude routes.
Ibon Ruiz wins the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes Maritimes
Throughout his progression in the ProTeam ranks, Ruiz has consistently shown his versatility across one-day races and stage-race classifications. His career highlights include a 3rd-place podium at the 2025 Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, winning the Mountains Classification at both the 2024 Vuelta a Asturias and the 2021 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, and earning the Stage 5 Combativity Award during his Grand Tour debut at the 2024 Vuelta a España.
Ibon Ruiz commented on the step-up to the WorldTour:
“I’m very happy and grateful to be joining a team like Bahrain Victorious. It’s a team with great role models for me, such as Pello Bilbao. I’m really looking forward to meeting the whole team, starting to work together and taking on the next season with great excitement.”
Bahrain Victorious Performance Manager Rod Ellingworth added:
“We have been monitoring Ibon’s progression closely. He is an aggressive, dedicated rider who fits perfectly into our squad strategy for the upcoming seasons. Whether he is attacking from long-range breakaways or setting the pace on demanding climbs, his work attitude and climbing consistency will add significant depth to our team in both stage races and one-day events.”
By securing Ruiz through the end of the 2028 season, Team Bahrain Victorious continues to reinforce its engine and mountain depth across both stage-hunting and Grand Tour support setups.