thecyclingdane

Stage 19 of the Vuelta a España 2026 delivered one of the most dramatic finishes of the entire race as Eddie Dunbar claimed a huge victory at Peñas Blancas after an incredible battle from the breakaway. Dunbar held off Santiago Buitrago in the final moments to take a memorable stage win, while behind them the GC contenders went head-to-head on the final climb with Enric Mas once again defending the red jersey.
With just two stages remaining, the pressure is now enormous. Primož Roglič is still chasing Mas and looking for a way to turn the race around, while Félix Gall, Oscar Onley and the rest of the GC contenders fight for crucial seconds before the final mountain stage. We break down Dunbar's breakthrough victory, Buitrago's heartbreak, the attacks on Peñas Blancas and what Stage 19 means for the battle for the Vuelta title.
We also look ahead to the final mountain showdown on Stage 20 and ask the big question: can Roglič still take the red jersey away from Enric Mas?

Stage 18 of the Vuelta a España 2026 delivered exactly what we hoped for as the race entered its decisive final days. Stefan Küng took a brilliant victory in the 32.1km individual time trial from El Puerto de Santa María to Jerez de la Frontera, but all eyes were on the battle for the red jersey.
Primož Roglič came into the stage needing to take time out of Enric Mas, and while he produced a strong ride to move closer to the overall lead, Mas delivered a huge performance to limit his losses and retain red. Roglič now sits just 1:37 behind Mas with two major mountain stages still to come, setting up a fascinating final battle for the Vuelta title.
In this episode of the thecyclingdane podcast, we break down Küng's impressive time trial victory, Roglič's fightback, Enric Mas' defence of the red jersey and what it all means heading into the final mountains. Can Mas hold on and win his first Grand Tour, or does Roglič still have enough time to turn the Vuelta around?
With Peñas Blancas and the Collado del Alguacil still to come, the Vuelta is far from over.

The second rest day of the 2026 Vuelta a España is here, and the final week is set up for a fascinating finish.
In this special rest-day chat, I’m joined by Jens Voigt to look back at the second week and look ahead to the decisive final stages.
Can Enric Mas finally win the Vuelta a España? The Movistar leader heads into the final week in red with a 2:06 advantage over Felix Gall and just 2:10 over four-time champion Primož Roglič. But with more mountains and the crucial time trial still to come, is Mas really in control?
We also talk about Wout van Aert, who has been one of the stars of this Vuelta. After another victory on Stage 15, his second win in just three stages, is this the best version of Wout we have ever seen?
And what about Primož Roglič? Can the four-time Vuelta winner still turn this race around and take another Grand Tour victory?
Plus, Oscar Onley’s fight for the white jersey, the impact of his crash, Jakob Omrzel’s challenge, and what Jens expects from the final week of racing.
The Vuelta is wide open — and there are still some huge questions to answer.

The second week of the Vuelta a España 2026 is in the books, and it has been another huge week in professional cycling.
On this week's thecyclingdane Podcast, we break down the biggest stories from the Vuelta, including Wout van Aert's incredible second week. The Belgian has taken two stage victories and continues to lead the points classification as the race heads towards its final stages.
We also look at Tom Pidcock's remarkable return to road racing. Just one week after becoming XCO World Champion, Pidcock switched back to the road and immediately won the GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano in Italy, attacking solo on the final climb to take an impressive victory.
Plus, we cover the 2026 Tour of Britain, the ZLM Tour, and all the other major talking points from another busy week of professional cycling.
🚴‍♂️ In this episode:
• Vuelta a España 2026 – second-week review
• Wout van Aert's two stage victories
• The battle for the Vuelta's green jersey
• Tom Pidcock wins in Larciano one week after his MTB World Championship
• Tour of Britain 2026
• ZLM Tour 2026
• The biggest winners, performances and talking points of the week
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Stage 13 of the Vuelta a España 2026 was a chaotic and attacking day from Almuñécar to Loja, with 192.8 kilometres of rolling terrain, scorching heat and around 3,400 metres of climbing creating the perfect conditions for a huge breakaway.
In this episode of The Cycling Dane Podcast, we break down an action-packed stage that saw more than 40 riders escape the peloton and fight for the victory. After several attempts throughout this Vuelta, Wout van Aert finally got his moment, making the decisive move inside the final kilometres before beating Valentin Paret-Peintre in the sprint to take his first stage win of the 2026 race.
It was also another impressive day for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, with Matthew Brennan joining Van Aert in the breakaway and eventually finishing third. After working for Brennan's three previous stage victories, Van Aert finally had the opportunity to race for himself — and he delivered when it mattered most.
We also look at the GC action behind the breakaway. Enric Mas successfully defended the red jersey, while Mattias Skjelmose made a significant move and gained more than two minutes on several of his overall rivals. With the race now heading towards the brutal summit finish at Sierra de la Pandera, the GC battle is about to become even more important.
We discuss the biggest attacks, the breakaway tactics, Van Aert's winning move, the battle for the overall classification and what Stage 13 could mean for the crucial mountain stages still to come.