"I hope I'll still have a place in the WorldTour next year" - Third at 2021 Vuelta, Jack Haig struggling to find a team
Cycling
Jack Haig's season took a blow when the Australian had to abandon Tour de France on stage 7 with a mild concussion. It was a strange situation for the experienced rider who would've hoped to leave a good mark on the race. And, hopefully, attract some offers from teams willing to sign him for 2026. But no such luck and thus Haig starts August with uncertain future and a lot to prove.
"For the moment, I don't have a contract, so I’m still waiting," Haig told Domestique about his contract situation. "I hope I will find something. I’m not too stressed, but of course, I would have liked to have something already signed by now. If nothing comes, nothing comes, and it's been a nice ride to here. But I hope I’ll have a place in the WorldTour for next year."
Part of Bahrain - Victorious since 2021, Haig is not opposed to the idea of extending. But that decision is no longer up to him. "I would never close the door on them, but I’m not sure the door is very open," he confesses.
Although his future hangs on a thread, the 31-year-old Australian is part of Bahrain's provisional selection for Vuelta a Espana. After a disappointing Giro d'Italia, young leader Antonio Tiberi will be back on mission to finish on a Grand Tour podium. Ideally, experience of Haig who himself podiumed Vuelta in 2021 could play the decisive role in Tiberi's quest.
Before the Spanish Grand Tour, Haig links up with his Italian teammate at Tour de Pologne, a race where he landed his first professional victory eight years ago. One of his only two victories as a pro.
"I’ve not won too much, but I look back at the wins that I have had and especially the one here in Poland. It was my second year as a pro, and I think it really kind of set up my career," Haig recalled the penultimate stage from 2017.
The other alternative for a race schedule would've been Vuelta a Burgos with clear logistical benefits ahead of Tour. "I’ve done a lot of racing in Spain, and the other option would have been to race the Vuelta a Burgos, so it’s nice to change and come here."
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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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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