"I barely feel like my season has started yet" - Uno-X rider sets for Vuelta debut less than a year after heart surgery
Cycling
At the age of 23, Simon Dalby will be one of the youngest riders on the upcoming Vuelta a Espana startlist. However the Dane's journey to start line of a debut Grand Tour has been anything but straightforward. In fact, his career (and life) were in danger last winter when Dalby had to overcome a blood clot in brain.
"It's been a wild journey the past ten months. From being hospitalized for a relatively long time and not knowing if I would be able to come back, to now having to ride a Grand Tour. There have been many ups and downs and bumps along the way," says Simon Dalby in an interview with TV 2 Sport.
"There have been times when I feared that the outcome would be that I could no longer be a cyclist. But I have always had the faith and hope that I could come back."
Alongside Tobias Halland Johannessen, Magnus Cort, Fredrik Dversnes, Andreas Kron, Andreas Leknessund, Rasmus Tiller, and Martin Tjotta, Dalby will reprsent Uno-X Mobility in Spain over the course of the next three weeks. But only the young Dane is making a Grand Tour debut in otherwise an experienced team.
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And to add to that, Dalby had quite a unique build-up to the Vuelta. Due to a heart surgery performed to ensure Dalby will suffer no further setbacks, his season only kicked off mid-April at Brabantse Pijl. His best race of 2026 so far has been the Tour de Suisse with 17th place overall, but Dalby still enters the Grand Tour with very little racing in the legs.
"I've only had about 14 race days this year, so, without knowing the statistics, there probably aren't others who have fewer race days on the start list. I barely feel like my season has started yet. But I'm really pumped to go out and do well, and I'm really looking forward to it," says the Dane, who knows his main task will be support of his leaders.
The worst is hopefully over
The experience for Dalby has been anything but pleasant, however prognosis towards his future career is optimistic; no further complications should emerge. This allows the 23-year-old to fully focus on the objectives ahead; especially the Grand Tour debut.
"I think I'm beyond that, and it's not something I go around being afraid of and thinking about. But I think it will always be a part of me and be in me. One way or another. I can't run away from that."
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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