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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.

Stage 12 from Vera to Calar Alto delivered another brutal day in the mountains, with Jakob Omrzel producing a stunning solo ride from the breakaway to take his first Grand Tour stage victory. But behind him, Enric Mas delivered the biggest statement of the day in the GC battle.
The red jersey attacked on the final climb, putting time into Primož Roglič and Félix Gall and extending his overall lead to 1:45 over Roglič and 2:06 over Gall.
In this Stage 12 recap, we break down Mas's attack, Movistar's impressive team performance, Roglič's response, Omrzel's breakthrough victory and what it all means for the fight for the Vuelta red jersey.
The Vuelta is opening up — and Enric Mas is taking control.

The 21-year-old Brit takes his third stage victory of the 2026 Vuelta a España, beating Bryan Coquard and Jordi Meeus in a chaotic sprint finish in Lorca. It was another brilliant display from Team Visma | Lease a Bike, with Wout van Aert once again playing a crucial role in setting up his young teammate.
Stage 11 took the peloton 153.8km from Cartagena to Lorca on what looked like a straightforward day for the sprinters. But the threat of crosswinds kept the racing nervous, while two breakaway attempts were eventually brought back. Ethan Hayter and Lawrence Warbasse spent much of the latter part of the stage up the road before being caught ahead of the Alto de Aledo.
The Alto de Aledo was the day's only classified climb, coming with around 32km to go, but it wasn't enough to prevent the sprinters from fighting for the win. After the descent, Visma rebuilt its lead-out train, and Van Aert once again delivered Brennan into the perfect position for the final sprint.
Meanwhile, there was no change at the top of the GC, with Enric Mas retaining the red jersey ahead of Primož Roglič. With the sprint stages now giving way to the mountains, the Vuelta is about to get serious again.
We break down Brennan's incredible run of victories, Visma's tactics, Van Aert's role, the sprint in Lorca and what Stage 11 means for the GC battle heading into the next mountain stages.