So much happened at this year’s Vuelta a España, and it was such a race that it’s hard to know where to start this week’s column. But I suppose it should be at the top step of the podium with Enric Mas. The way he rode La Vuelta was unbelievable; he seemed to strike the best vein of form in his life. The Mallorcan looked incredibly controlled on the mountaintop finishes, taking time when he needed to across the second half of the race. We always talk about Movistar and that they can be a disaster of a team at times, but my God, once they got the red jersey within their ranks, the whole team stepped up and performed differently.
I think Mas’ victory will definitely give them a kick up the backside as a team. The sports directors will be saying, ‘this is what we should have been doing for the last couple of years’ – they’ve been in a bit of a drought since Alejandro Valverde left, and although they have the riders, they just haven’t been getting the results they should have been. Of course, Mas himself has had tricky periods, with his injury and operation, but when you see what they’re capable of at this Vuelta, then you have to ask, where was that before?
Of course, the one caveat there is Tadej Pogačar. Had he not crashed out at the end of the first week, he would have likely won, considering the lead he’d already built up. Yet, given the way the final stages were ridden, and factoring in potential fatigue towards the end of the Slovenian’s second consecutive Grand Tour, I feel like it might have been more open than we anticipated. It’s worth remembering too that Pogačar struggled during the final week of last year’s Tour; his team said he was sick, but how unwell actually was he? UAE Team Emirates-XRG know rival teams will analyse his performances for any weaknesses, so perhaps illness is an easy way to cover up any repeated Grand Tour fatigue that might plague Pogačar in the final days of a three-week race.
Nonetheless, I think for cycling, and for the real cycling followers that know about bike racing, La Vuelta was easily the best Grand Tour of the season by far – there were so many days where we had no idea what the outcome of the stage would be.
Few would have predicted this exact GC podium ahead of the final men’s Grand Tour of the season (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Another top performer in this La Vuelta was hands down Matthew Brennan, not just because he won five stages, but because of how he rode this Grand Tour, the first of his professional career. He was without a doubt the fastest rider at this year’s race, with an honourable mention for XDS Astana’s Alessandro Romele, who looks like a rider who’s going to do a lot in the future. It was an absolute dream Vuelta for Visma-Lease a Bike’s young British talent, though, and the question is: what will he target next year?
It will be fascinating when he comes up against the likes of Tim Merlier and other real fast men like Jonathan Milan and Mads Pedersen. He can get over a lot of small climbs, and given how crazy organisers are with stage routes now, Brennan will chalk up plenty of stage race wins. I know he’s open to racing the Tour next year, especially because it starts in the UK. Naturally, though, competition is incredibly high for Visma-Lease a Bike’s Tour de France squad, especially when you consider their yellow jersey ambitions and the multi-faceted role that Wout van Aert plays in the squad.
A wide-open World Championships
Speaking of the Belgian, he was equally impressive at this year’s La Vuelta, serving as a lead-out man for Brennan, but also scoring two victories of his own and the green jersey. Of course, he didn’t race the Tour, so he’s getting into form later in the season, and has a level of freshness that should give him and his Belgian World Championships squad a very good chance in Canada. They just need to get organised and avoid any tactical problems between Van Aert and Evenepoel.
It’s going to be a very interesting Road World Championships because with no Pogačar, there’s a void that needs to be filled. When Pogačar is in a one-day Classic like the Worlds, it’s like watching spaghetti boil. You know what’s about to happen; you just have to be ready when the moment arrives. In the past, the Slovenian would just use his team to put everybody on the limit and then attack at a certain point, be it 40km or 50km to go, leaving the rest of the field in indecision as they question whether to chase him down or turn their attention to the podium places.
I think Remco Evenepoel will think about using the same tactic, but will he be good enough to make it stick? If he doesn’t, then it could well be Wout van Aert who finds himself in a move, and the Belgian squad’s strategy changes. It’s going to be fascinating to see who can capitalise on the Pogačar-shaped hole in Montréal at the end of this month.