thecyclingdane

Can Paul Seixas make history at the 2026 Critérium du Dauphiné? The French sensation arrives in the form of his life and has the chance to become the race's youngest-ever winner while ending France's long wait for a home champion, with the last French victory coming back in 2007. But standing in his way are some of the sport's biggest names, including UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader Isaac del Toro, who has already won the UAE Tour and Tirreno–Adriatico this season, while Juan Ayuso leads a strong Lidl-Trek squad looking to add another major stage race to his palmarès. We break down the route, the key contenders, and who has the best chance of taking overall victory in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026.

On the queen stage of the Giro d'Italia it was an action packed day with Ciccone and riders in the lower end of the top 10 of the GC forcing the action while Visma Lease A Bike shifted focus to let Sepp Kuss in the breakaway and Jonas Vingegaard on marking duties.

Stage 18 of the Giro d’Italia 2026 looked straightforward for the GC contenders — until the brutal slopes of the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio nearly turned into a tactical disaster for Jonas Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike. Poor positioning, late reactions, and aggressive attacks on the steep final climb briefly left the Giro leader exposed as rivals sensed an opportunity ahead of the decisive mountain stages.
In this episode, we break down the chaotic finale into Pieve di Soligo, the aggressive racing on the Poggio, why Visma almost made a costly mistake, and how the GC battle is beginning to heat up before the final weekend in the Dolomites. We also discuss the sprinters who somehow survived the climb, the reduced bunch sprint, and the rider who perfectly timed his move to take a stunning Stage 18 victory — Paul Magnier.

Michael Valgren finally claimed his long-awaited first Grand Tour stage win with a perfectly-timed attack on stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia after an explosive 202km breakaway battle to Andalo. We break down the relentless tactical racing, Valgren’s emotional comeback story after his career-threatening crash, and another controlled GC day for race leader Jonas Vingegaard as the Giro heads towards its decisive final mountain stages.

After a rest day comes the moment every Grand Tour contender fears… the first brutal mountain test of the final week. On Stage 16 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia, Jonas Vingegaard and Visma Lease a Bike faced a short but savage Swiss Alpine showdown to Carì, with relentless climbing, heat, and mounting fatigue threatening to crack the race apart.
In this episode, we break down how Visma controlled the stage from start to finish, why Vingegaard’s attack looked so devastating, and what the performance means for the overall Giro battle heading into the decisive final mountains. We also discuss Felix Gall’s impressive ride, the growing gaps in the GC, and whether anyone still has the legs to challenge the maglia rosa in the final week.