Johan Bruyneel returned to give his opinion on what happened in the last big mountain stage of the Vuelta a España 2023 that had its finish at the Cruz de Linares. The former sport director of Lance Armstrong spoke on the Youtube podcast The Move and explained that, for him, Jumbo-Visma was carried away by the opinion of the media to adopt a conservative tactic with Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic on stage 18.
Bruyneel has been highly critical in recent days of the Slovenian and Dane's attacks on the American when he was wearing the red jersey and believes that media pressure caused the Dutch team to change its approach to the race: "I think yes, media pressure played a part, don't forget that Primoz Roglic said before the start of the Vuelta that Sepp Kuss could win the Vuelta, and he was right."
"But until this stage 18 he hadn't clearly said that they were going to race for Sepp Kuss to win. That was the end of it. I think the statements had an effect. It's unbelievable that a team that has won the Giro, the Tour, is first, second and third in the Vuelta and has won several stages and, despite that, nobody is happy with them. That's not right. The networks have an impact on sponsors."
Read also
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
Loading
🙄Mismo lugar, mismos protagonistas, pero con maillots a la inversa y en distintos años ❤️Kuss esperando a Roglic en la subida al Angliru en 2020 mientras atacaba Enric Mas 💔Roglic y Vingegaard dejando solo a Kuss que va como líder #LaVuelta23 🤔¿Cual es vuestra opinión?
Write a comment