"He has been taught a lesson three or four times" - José De Cauwer recommends Felix Gall to try a different approach
CyclingTuesday, 01 September 2026 at 03:00
Felix Gall started the 2026 Vuelta a Espana as the "man to beat" in the battle for second spot overall. And since the first moments, he was quick to take up that role as he even tried to pile pressure on Tadej Pogacar in stage 4 - even if it didn't work out. But afterwards, the Austrian began to struggle to live up even to the expectations of runner-up. Now he finds himself third overall, even in Pogacar's absence.
It's hard to judge what the problem seems to be. Gall's Decathlon CMA CGM teammates all seem at a great level, especially compatriot Gregor Mühlberger, and yet, their leader is unable to deliver quite the red jersey worthy performances. Instead, he even lost time on Alto de Aitana, which is not great news with view to the 32-kilometer time trial on stage 18.
"That is very strange," says Sporza analyst José De Cauwer regarding Gall's inability to keep up with Enric Mas, Oscar Onley and Primoz Roglic. "He has done it [attacked] a few times when Pogacar is present: going for it with great conviction. If you can't finish it off as the team leader, then you really have to think twice."
Time to switch plans
It is not a secret that Gall doesn't belong among the most explosive riders in the peloton. That wouldn't be an issue on a very steep ascent where he can drill his opponents off his wheel with a very hard pace. However, in case of a more steady summit such as Alto de Aitana (21.9 km at 5.9%), his early attack worked against his intentions as all rivals - still relatively fresh - could follow with ease.
"Maybe they should try doing it differently. He has been taught a lesson three or four times. He came back a bit towards the end, but no," the Belgian analyst believes.
Use Mühlberger better
According to De Cauwer, there are still slight tactical mishaps in Decathlon mountain train's strategy. Part of it comes down to Matthew Riccitello being unable to play as much of a role as the team would hope to, but the super-strong Gregor Mühlberger is not being used to his full potential either.
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Instead of attacking with 5 kilometers to go, Gall should therefore try his luck much closer to the finish line. "Now he attacks four or five kilometers from the finish. In the future, I would wait earlier and do everything at the end." Stages 12 and 14 will be good opportunities to assess whether the Austrian duo learned their lesson.
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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- I really hope he doesn't return this season, and takes the time to recover properly and look after himself - not feel pressured by sponsors and armchair pundits to risk his recovery and long-term health. His wins in 2026 alone are a glittering career haul for most riders, so he's got nothing to "salvage" from crashing out of La Vuelta.wrsty01-09-2026
- Feels like they are building a super team without a really top TOP-tier wunderkind GC guy in place (no offence to Onley) - perhaps this is all to tempt a certain young Frenchman?wrsty01-09-2026
- @mjj: There's also something about Pidcock and MTB that is different from Van der Poel. Pidcock raced at Novo Mesto and immediately won - he actually con jump on the bike at short notice and win! Also, he has said it's his favorite discipline in a way that Van der Poel never has.RidesHills01-09-2026
- MVDP should ride his CX bike with 700x50s instead of his MTB! Who knows? Watching his CX exploits I often wondered why I I needed an MTB with 120mm front suspension. Tom has been the premier MTB XC for a while. (disclaimer: have not seen the race yet)bike-anarkist31-08-2026
- having concussion symptoms serious enough to delay a surgery (cognitive disruption, balance issues, serious persistent headaches) would certainly qualify as a "serious concussion", which is a TBI by the way.StuffShredman31-08-2026
- Couldn't have said it better with PogiFanBoy clicks!frieders331-08-2026
- Shush... capish?PogiSloFans31-08-2026
- Who cares? He chose it to win. That’s not on anyone but Floyd.Guavaking31-08-2026
- It's a sad story. Lying and not facing the truth is like having an anvil chained to your neck. I wish him well. By coincidence I watched "The Programme." recently. Jesse Plemons play a great Landis in the film.Cyclingsbestfan31-08-2026
- It would be a powerfull team if he did sign up with Ineos. Onley's future is looking good. Carapaz and Onley would make a great climbing double act. Would it be enough though to topple Pogacar the GT king?Cyclingsbestfan31-08-2026
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