"He’s right where he should be" - Bruyneel praises Tadej Pogacar for another solo mountain raid
CyclingWednesday, 26 August 2026 at 16:15
The first mountain stage of the Vuelta a España has uncovered the current form of the riders that will be fighting for the overall win and podium. Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin have discussed the first Pyrenean clash, in which Tadej Pogacar was the big star.
Bruyneel stunned by Sepp Kuss' consistency
“You can’t really say it’s a surprise, but Primoz Roglic… I expected him to be stronger later on. The fact that he single-handedly closed the gap to Gall and Onley—that was a really good move," Bruyneel said on The Move podcast. "It shows he’s in good shape.”
The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider missed out on three weeks of training and racing ahead of La Vuelta due to a training crash, but looked strong on the shorter and the longer efforts during stage 4 of the Spanish Grand Tour.
It was not only Roglic who proved to be a positive surprise, with Lotto-Intermarché leader Jarno Widar surprising his competitors and entering the fight for the overall classification. Enric Mas, after a very difficult year, mimicked Roglic with a strong ride that saw him at the level he's previously shown in this race.
“I think he’s going to have a good Vuelta. He looks really good. He’s also a true Vuelta rider, having finished second three times already," Bruyneel said of the Spaniard. "He’s always on another level here and looks full of confidence. I think we should also consider him a serious contender for the podium".
The group at the finish did not include Richard Carapaz, Mattias Skjelmose - and also João Almeida who fell out of GC, displaying how the stage has had a major influence in the fight for the final podium.
It included Felix Gall and Oscar Onley who were first and second at the Vuelta a Burgos, and also Sepp Kuss. At home, the American has performed well in Andorra in the past, but nevertheless has presented himself as Visma's GC card, as Ben Tulett and Jorgen Nordhagen couldn't keep up with the best.
“There aren’t many riders who can do that. First of all, riding all three Grand Tours is insane. But to also be performing at that level," Bruyneel said of the Visma leader. "He also won a stage in the Giro, and almost won one in the Tour".
“I think he’ll probably win a stage in the Vuelta, and I think he’ll also stay in the top five of the general classification. That’s incredible. It’s truly unprecedented to have that kind of recovery ability between Grand Tours.”
Sepp Kuss crosses the line on stage 4 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
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Bruyneel surprised Pogacar is already on top form
But the stage winner was never under much doubt, with Tadej Pogacar decimating the competition on the Col de Beixalis and Coll d'Ordino. On the longer efforts, the Slovenian had no match, and the next few weeks should continue to show that.
Bruyneel was surprised that after not having much preparation towards the race, the red jersey already showed his best level on the climbs.
According to 'Naichaca', Pogacar averaged 6.94W/Kg for 17 minutes on the first of the climbs; and 6.82W/Kg for 23 minutes on the second. During this period, the Slovenian won minutes on the competition.
“I think he’s riding conservatively and that he gained more confidence as the stage went on. He’s right where he should be under normal circumstances. Given that he had such a disrupted training period, it was a surprise to see him already in such good form.”
The real battle is between the podium contenders: “Pogacar in first place, that’s for sure. Oscar Onley looked really good today, I had him ranked third before the Vuelta. So I think I’ll put Primoz there. He’s already won the general classification four times, so we have to include him".
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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- am i stupid or the report? i saw the video, wout did not ask for the sun glasses, pogi just gave them to his son. wout was authentically surprised ...Ketterechts26-08-2026
- Oh, so you like Pogi. Then I apologize. Yes, I've met him three times in Slovenia, he's my compatriot.PogiSloFans26-08-2026
- Nathan Van Hooydonck's major career results: Van Hooydonck took ONE individual victory in a professional race, winning stage four at the 2016 Ronde de l'Oise on the UCI Europe Tour. He was part of the team time trial victory for Team Visma on stage three of 2023 Paris–Nice, and finished second to teammate Tiesj Benoot at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in the same year. OMG, what "huge" results. If his results were as big as his mouth, maybe he could be behind Pogi around place 30. Common Hooydonck, keep quiet and never again attack Remco, you can only clean his shoes. I just don't know why the worst cyclists have the biggest mouths.PogiSloFans26-08-2026
- Let's be realistic, did anyone think Remco could win the Tour?MajorPayne26-08-2026
- Remco no ballsabstractengineer26-08-2026
- Why the criticism, Gall can only gain time in the mountain and he will lose big time in the TT. So it is natural that his team to put the pressure on. Pogi is already discounted. If Gall misses the podium by a few seconds and he did not try , it will be too late. He has a strong team, he is using them now, later on ,might be too late.abstractengineer26-08-2026
- this is the guy that made unsubstantiated claims of Bora riders bullying him as a reason to leave the team. and then after signing him, Visma couldn't seem to let him out the door soon enough. Movistar should have known.mij26-08-2026
- I've met him and we got on well. You?Renz26-08-2026
- I got the sense that Wout was winding Pog up about not pulling with him after Pog pulled with Mathieu in Paris for the panache of it. Then Wout asked Pog for a bottle for his son and Pog gave his son the shades because Pog is just a great guy.bigmangofast26-08-2026
- I only blame Pogi for not stopping for a minute by the road yesterday, to talk to Adam Yates about how he's living in Andorra, what he had for lunch and whether he's getting ready for Lombardy and Montreal to help him. It's not right for Pogi, not to stop at least for a minute. Shame on you Pogi, for taking so much time on your rivals... 😂😂😂PogiSloFans26-08-2026
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