From the epic Pogacar to La Vuelta de Mas: the five moments of the 2026 season
You could say that the 2026 cycling season has been, in part, a continuation of 2025. However, it has also left us big and nice surprisesas well as falls that we would not have liked to experience and that have deprived us of an even better show.
Next, we review five of the moments that have made us enjoy the most and we have been as excited as surprised by some of them.
Pogacar’s comeback in Milan-San Remo
Tadej Pogacar’s victory was not new, but the way it came about was. Before passing through the Cipressa there was a fall in the peloton in which ‘Pogi’ was involved.
From that moment on, the UAE team quickly got to work to return its leader to the front of the race before the decisive stretch of the test. Everyone complied and Pogacar was already in place at the right time. But it didn’t stop there; came and attacked.
Only Van der Poel and Pidcock could follow him, and then, at the Poggio, he released the Dutchman and went hand in hand to the finish line with the British. From behind they got closer, but both played for victory in a final sprint from which the Slovenian emerged victorious despite being injured.
Van Aert leaves Pogacar without Paris-Roubaix
Virtually any fan would agree that that race was one of the best of the year and had the most exciting and emotional outcome.
Many of the favorites to win suffered one or more punctures, including Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, although they were able to return to the front of the race.
Pogacar regained control of the race and imposed his pace to try to go alone, but Wout van Aert was able to follow him. They arrived together at the Velodrome, where the Belgian took advantage of his sprinter virtues to win Paris-Roubaix for the first time and dedicate it to his late friend Michael Goolaerts.
Jonas Vingegaard’s Giro
Apart from the two Tour de France he won (2022 and 2023), the best Grand Tour that Jonas Vingegaard has done. He did and undid as he pleased.
He was very clear about the days that were marked in red and those that he could let the rest of the platoon do so that they could have their opportunities. With control and dominance of the race, but not overwhelming like Pogacar.
He won 5 stages and did not become leader until stage 14, relieving himself of the responsibility that this entails for two weeks. He even allowed himself the luxury of giving free rein to his luxury gregarious, Sepp Kuss, to win stage 19. A Giro brilliantly managed and in which he won with astonishing superiority.
The redemption of Enric Mas in La Vuelta
Along with the World Cup, the most unexpected winner of the season. The state in which Enric Mas arrived at La Vuelta was a mystery to the general public, but it was beyond any doubt that he was not the main candidate to win the race due to the participation of Tadej Pogacar.
However, everything changed on stage 8, when the Slovenian suffered a fall and was forced to abandon. Then, Mas took the lead after the great day he had 48 hours before in Bartolo, competing in the stage with Tadej himself.
From there, he not only retained leadership, but expanded it. He won in Alto de Aitana, on his first day dressed in red. Furthermore, he was gaining ground on his rivals on key days, such as in Calar Alto, Sierra de la Pandera or Sierra Nevada. The last day in Granada he was able to enjoy his great victory.
Brandon McNulty, world champion
Another of the great surprises of the season. Without Pogacar or Vingegaard, the World Cup was much more open. Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro or Paul Seixas were nominated as main favorites, but nothing to do with it. Teamwork prevailed over individualities.
The American team perhaps did not have an undisputed leader or as powerful as other teams, but it had three perfectly qualified assets: Brandon McNulty, Quinn Simmons and Matteo Jorgenson.
McNulty was feeling really good, so his teammates worked for him and his legs responded perfectly to become world champion against all odds. Additionally, Simmons finished 4th and Jorgenson, 8th.
And many more could be mentioned: Mikel Landa’s victory in the ‘queen’ stage of La Vuelta, Paul Seixas’ triumph in Lombardy, Isaac del Toro’s stage 2 of the Tour de France or van der Poel’s finish on the Champs Elysées. In January 2027, in Australia, more and better.
