The 2026 Vuelta a España begins this Saturday in Monaco. As the final Grand Tour of the season, it is often the one in which many young riders make their debut - their true introduction to three-week racing. Below, we look at the 10 youngest and oldest riders to start this year's Vuelta.
Bahrain - Victorious bring Omrzel as the youngest La Vuelta rider
There is a very large density of young talent at the start of the Spanish race, with Jakob Omrzel being the very youngest at the start. The Bahrain - Victorious rider turned pro this year at a very tender age of 19, and will be introduced to the type of race the he may thrive in the future. As a former winner of the under-23 Giro d'Italia, he is not a rider to discount from the fight for the overall classification.
Omrzel is 20 years and 154 days old at the time of the Vuelta's foreign Gran Salida, but he is not the only 20-year old at the start. In fact there are four, as he is joined by Lotto-Intermarché's Jarno Widar; UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Pablo Torres and Alpecin-Premier Tech's Sente Sentjens.
Matthew Brennan, interestingly, is the fifth youngest at the start, meaning that all riders amongst this Top5 will either have a key support role for big leaders (such a Tadej Pogacar, Kaden Groves...) or will have their own opportunities to lead or hunt stage wins throughout the three weeks.
| # | Rider | Team | Age |
| 1 | OMRZEL Jakob | TBV | 20y + 154d |
| 2 | WIDAR Jarno | LOI | 20y + 282d |
| 3 | TORRES Pablo | UEX | 20y + 285d |
| 4 | SENTJENS Sente | APT | 20y + 354d |
| 5 | BRENNAN Matthew | TVL | 21y + 16d |
| 6 | BELOKI Markel | EFE | 21y + 26d |
| 7 | PEACE Oliver | TPP | 21y + 142d |
| 8 | DE SCHUYTENEER Steffen | LOI | 21y + 179d |
| 9 | BISIAUX Léo | DCT | 21y + 189d |
| 10 | CHAMBERLAIN Oscar | DCT | 21y + 219d |
Jakob Omrzel is the youngest rider at the 2026 Vuelta a España
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Steven Kruijswijk closes out his career as the oldest at La Vuelta
Steven Kruijswijk is the oldest rider at the start of the 2026 Vuelta a España. This comes as no surprise, but it will come as Kruijswijk's final race of a long and successful career. For the Dutchman, one of the most experienced faces in pro cycling, this is the ninth start at the Vuelta a España - and the 25th Grand Tour of his career.
A Grand Tour specialist, the Dutchman turned pro in 2010 and is now 39 years old. He is by far the oldest in the startlist, followed by Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team's David de la Cruz who is the only 37-year old at the start. Primoz Roglic and Mikel Landa are fourth and fifth in a ranking that includes several leaders, but also several riders who are saying goodbye to the peloton this year.
| # | Rider | Team | |
| 1 | KRUIJSWIJK Steven | TVL | 39y + 76d |
| 2 | DE LA CRUZ David | PQT | 37y + 108d |
| 3 | MOLARD Rudy | GFC | 36y + 339d |
| 4 | ROGLIČ Primož | RBH | 36y + 297d |
| 5 | LANDA Mikel | SOQ | 36y + 252d |
| 6 | BILBAO Pello | TBV | 36y + 178d |
| 7 | BENNETT George | NSN | 36y + 137d |
| 8 | WARBASSE Larry | TUD | 36y + 55d |
| 9 | HERRADA Jesús | BBH | 36y + 27d |
| 10 | HOULE Hugo | APT | 35y + 329d |
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Yes, Roglic could theoretically have beaten Sepp. Jonas must have had complete confidence that he could come back and win the Vuelta another year. Visma had not allowed Roglic to ride the Tour that year, so his future did not look so bright, despite his narrow Giro win..Hills3315-11-2026
- So far, a good series about riders before my time, even if the text feels AI generated like so much on this site. About the rider, he seems like one of many who are active fan favorites but don’t survive in the stories of cycling, a few decades later - I didn’t really know anything about him and this was a good read, thank you!RidesHills15-11-2026
- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
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