thecyclingdane

It has been an absolutely chaotic week in cycling.
Tadej Pogačar’s Vuelta a España came to a shocking end after a heavy crash, with the world champion forced to abandon the race. We look at what happened, what it means for the rest of his season, and how his absence could change the Vuelta.
Meanwhile, the transfer market is heating up. Primož Roglič is being linked with a new team, Paul Magnier is reportedly on the move, and several major transfers have now been officially confirmed. We break down the biggest moves and what they could mean for the 2027 season.
And there is plenty of future-star action to discuss. Lorenzo Finn absolutely dominated the Tour de l’Avenir, putting in another huge performance and strengthening his reputation as one of the most exciting young riders in the sport.
Plus, Tom Pidcock is a mountain bike world champion once again, adding another major title to his already extraordinary palmarès.
All that, plus the biggest stories from across the cycling world, in this week's Race Week.

Enric Mas has delivered a huge statement on the Alto de Aitana, winning Stage 9 of the Vuelta a España 2026 and strengthening his grip on the red jersey just one day after Tadej Pogačar's dramatic abandonment. Mas attacked in the final kilometres of the brutal 187.4km mountain stage and held off Oscar Onley, with Primož Roglič finishing third.
In this Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 9 Race Recap & Analysis, we break down an incredible day in the mountains, featuring more than 5,000 metres of climbing and the return of the legendary Alto de Aitana. Mas showed he wasn't simply inheriting the red jersey from Pogačar, taking responsibility in the finale and producing one of the biggest victories of his career.
We look at Oscar Onley's breakthrough performance, Primož Roglič's fight for a fifth Vuelta title, Felix Gall's aggressive racing and the new-look GC battle following Pogačar's exit. Mas now leads Roglič by 1:18, with Gall a further 21 seconds behind.
After Pogačar's incredible dominance earlier in the race, the Vuelta has suddenly been transformed into a completely open Grand Tour. Can Enric Mas hold onto the red jersey all the way to Granada?

Stage 7 of the Vuelta a España 2026 saw Andreas Leknessund take a huge solo victory at Aramón Valdelinares, with teammate Tobias Johannessen completing an emotional Uno-X one-two. Wout van Aert rounded out the podium after playing a key role in the breakaway.
Behind them, Tadej Pogačar once again showed his strength, accelerating on the final climb to extend his advantage in the general classification. He now leads Enric Mas by 3:50, with Primož Roglič further behind in third.
We break down the stage, Leknessund's breakthrough victory, Pogačar's latest display of dominance and what it means for the GC battle heading into the next mountain stages.

Stage 6 delivered one of the most dramatic finales of the race so far, with Pogačar going head-to-head with Enric Mas on the brutal Puerto El Bartolo before a chaotic gravel section and dangerous descent into Castellón.
Mas looked capable of taking a huge victory, but Pogačar fought back and produced another incredible sprint to claim his third stage win of the 2026 Vuelta. The victory also extends his advantage in the red jersey to 3 minutes 34 seconds.
In this episode, we break down Pogačar vs Mas, the gravel climb, the terrifying descent, the tactics from UAE Team Emirates-XRG and what this latest victory means for the GC battle.
Vuelta a España 2026 Stage 6 — full race recap and analysis.

Matthew Brennan took another impressive victory, but the story behind the result was the incredible lead-out from his Visma | Lease a Bike teammates. We break down how the team controlled the finale, positioned Brennan perfectly and delivered him to the line for another Vuelta stage win.
In this episode, we analyse the final kilometres, Brennan’s sprint, Visma | Lease a Bike’s tactics and what this victory says about one of the most exciting young sprinters in the peloton. We also look at the GC battle, with Tadej Pogačar continuing to hold the red jersey as the Vuelta moves towards the next major tests.