"Brutal - you either have the legs or you don't" - Visma talent recounts his first Vuelta experience
CyclingSaturday, 19 September 2026 at 09:00
Team Visma | Lease a Bike had an excellent Giro d'Italia. Starting without their main GC card Jonas Vingegaard, the Dutch team focused on stage victories... and collected seven of them! A feat that's not been achieved in way over a decade. The mature tactical showing and brilliant execution of pre-stage plans were all the more impressive as the team included two Grand Tour debutants. Among them was Jorgen Nordhagen who played a crucial role on the final mountain day.
Starting with an idea of overall result attempt somewhere in the back of his mind, the 21-year-old Nordhagen quickly gave up on that ambition, instead switching to a support role and breakaway activity. From his position, he witnessed Matthew Brennan and Wout Van Aert secure no less than seven stage wins, and a points classification jersey.
"It was a really great experience," Nordhagen says in an interview on team website. "We had a really great group, and the atmosphere was good from the very beginning. Personally, the first week didn’t go quite the way I had hoped, but I’m especially happy that I kept getting better throughout the Vuelta. I felt like my level improved every week and that I was ultimately able to finish the race at a good level and in a good way. That gives me a lot of confidence for the future."
A "brutal" first experience
"Brutal," the Norwegian describes his first Grand Tour experience. "There were so many difficult days in the mountains. I don’t think there was a stage without climbing. You either have the legs or you don't."
Sepp Kuss and Jorgen Nordhagen crosses the line on Stage 20 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
One thing Nordhagen hopes to carry over from this race is that one bad stage doesn't make the whole race, and the very next day can bring completely different sensations.
"I realized that a few difficult days can quickly turn around and that good days can come after a tough stretch. On some days, I didn’t have my best legs, but then you try to reset and start again the next day with a positive mindset. That’s probably one of the most important lessons I’ll take away from this Vuelta: you always get new opportunities."
Visma's signature mountain raid, again
And on 20th stage came Nordhagen's time as Visma turned attention to general classification where Sepp Kuss sat in a modest 11th position. With a podium - or even top-5 result - rather abstract goals considering Kuss' legs the previous days, an outrageous strategy was necessary to completely flip the script.
Which is precisely what the Dutch team did. That day, an enormous breakaway with countless rider got up the road. The stage became extremely chaotic with groups all over the road and a limited information available. With Bruno Armirail, Wout Van Aert and Nordhagen up the road, Visma got the exact scenario they wished for. And once Sepp Kuss rode away from the (reduced) group of favourites the task was merely to "drag" him home, one-by-one, towards a 5th place overall.
"The way we worked together as a team and helped Sepp move up to fifth place in the overall standings was the absolute highlight for me," Nordhagen outlined his favourite moment of the race. "We came up with a plan on the bus that morning and executed it to perfection."
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"Wout and I were in the breakaway, and at one point we heard over the radio that Sepp was riding up to us. First, Wout did a huge amount of work, and then it was my turn to contribute to Sepp’s ambitions in the overall standings. I was happy that I had good legs that day, which allowed me to ride to the finish with Sepp. I finished seventh that day, but my own result wasn’t important at that point."
In the end, Nordhagen himself concluded the race with two 7th places and 37th overall, but he already thinks about the next Grand Tour he'll take on: "It might sound crazy so soon after the Vuelta, but I’m already looking forward to racing another Grand Tour. As tough and demanding as these past three weeks have been, I really enjoyed it," Nordhagen concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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