As the team struggle through illnesses that have taken several of their main cards out of Milano-Sanremo, many of the riders who will be at the Ardennes classics supporting Julian Alaphilippe will be gearing up their engines in Catalunya, with Fausto Masnada in the leading seat.
As the World Tour cobbled classics period starts over in Belgium, Spain will be a secondary focus for the Belgian team. The mountainous race in northeastern Spain usually provides several opportunities for the climbers to succeed, aswell as breakaway possibilities which may favour the team here as they aren't likely to be targeting the podium. Fausto Masnada and Ilan van Wilder will be eyeing the overall classification, with the Italian the likely leader seeing his improvement over the last year. Andrea Bagioli, Dries Devenyns, Pieter Serry and Louis Vervaeke are all strong puncheurs and climbers who should enjoy the hilly terrain that is to be faced in the seven-day stage-race.
Team DS Geert van Bondt who will be guiding the team throughout the week has shared his thoughts regarding ambitions: “We have quite a strong team for the Volta a Catalunya, featuring several riders who can go for a good result. As always, there will be a lot of climbing next week, especially on stages three and four – which will be the most important for the general classification – but there should be some opportunities also for breakaways and bunch sprints, and for the latter, we have Ethan, who can try to get involved. Concerning the overall standings, Fausto and Ilan will be our two guys, they come here with a lot of motivation and confidence”
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl for Volta a Catalunya: Fausto Masnada, Andrea Bagioli, Dries Devenyns, Pieter Serry, Ilan van Wilder, Ethan Vernon and Louis Vervaeke.
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.
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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)...
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- 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
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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Two tough summit finishes, lots of climbing, and a spectacular finale in Barcelona! We look forward to being next week at the start of one of the oldest stage races in the world, the @VoltaCatalunya: quickstep-alphavinylteam.com/en/news/5425/q…
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