“I will remember every god-damn climb in this country” - Vuelta lanterne rouge admits he's 'not proud' of last place as he yearns to go home
CyclingSunday, 13 September 2026 at 18:05
Mathias Norsgaard reaches the final day of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana with one overwhelming feeling: relief.
The 29-year-old Lidl-Trek rider sits 142nd and last in the general classification, 6:11:51 behind Enric Mas, after three weeks spent battling heat, repeated climbing and terrain that rarely played to his strengths.
“One of the hardest experiences in my life,” Norsgaard told TNT Sports before the start of Stage 21 in Granada. “I will remember every god-damn climb in this country. I will remember the heat, how people are riding like motorbikes even while I'm feeling like a completely shit rider, and still wake up every morning and do it all over again.”
“The last thing I wanted to do was ride my bike”
At 2.02 metres tall, Norsgaard has built his career as a powerful rouleur and time triallist rather than a climber. The former Danish national time-trial champion moved from Movistar to Lidl-Trek ahead of the 2026 season.
He had already started the Vuelta once before, lining up for Movistar in 2022 and making it through Stage 9 before failing to start the following day's individual time trial. Four years later, he is on course to reach the end of a Grand Tour for the first time.
Saturday's brutal Stage 20 left little enthusiasm for getting back on the bike the following morning. “After yesterday's hardest stage of them all it was such a relief,” Norsgaard said. “The last thing I wanted to do this morning was ride my bike. I just wanted to go home. I just want to be in Aarhus, take two or three days off completely and start training again. That's life. You can't stop when you want.”
The Vuelta has taken its toll across the peloton, with extreme heat and a punishing route contributing to a steady stream of abandonments. “A lot of my colleagues in the peloton had to stop this Vuelta due to extreme heat, due to extreme parcours, but I had to fight to get through my first Grand Tour.”
This time, unlike in 2022, Norsgaard has made it all the way to the final day.
Read also
Nearly 50 minutes behind second-last
If completing the race offers satisfaction, finishing at the very bottom of the standings does not. “The lantern rouge is not one I'm proud to have, but there's 50 minutes between me and the next rider, Jordi Meeus,” Norsgaard admitted.
The gap is so large that even Norsgaard could see the funny side. “He could stop and have a nice bocadillo in Granada in a cafe and still finish in front of me.”
Barring any late change on Stage 21, Norsgaard will complete the 2026 Vuelta a Espana more than six hours behind the overall winner and almost 50 minutes behind Meeus, four years after his previous attempt at the race ended before Stage 10.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Praying for a Pidcock win, but I think the aero bullet has this in the bag.anonymouscyclist13-09-2026
- Don’t get drawn into it. This is exactly what Mou wants. It’s easy to spot his accounts from the moment he comments from a new username. I prefer discussing cycling with actual fans, that’s why we’re here after all.anonymouscyclist13-09-2026
- It's supposed to be a procession till the finishing circuit. Riders like Thibau Nys or Richard Carapaz won't wait for the final climb. There's Brennan to get rid of, then van Aert
Rafionain-Glas13-09-2026 - You have no idea? Just ask Mou.PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- The cyborg, being present in Canada to support his fiancée, is great news for the human race.
vannpelt13-09-2026 - True, but Pogi haters and other fools on this site won't admit it. While they celebrated Pogi's crash and saying the Vuelta was "exciting again," the reality is that the second and third weeks of the Vuelta attracted far fewer viewers. By David Bavin-HobbsIn on PRO CYCLING: A cycling world that has been dominated for years by Pogačar and UAE Emirates-XRG—and in a world where people talk about the sport being “boring,” “monotonous,” and “unexciting”—the Slovenian’s withdrawal provided a very enlightening insight. For although Pogacar had the Vuelta firmly in his grasp, far more people were watching when he was in the race versus after his departure. The statistics website Procyclingstats shared a rather bizarre graph showing the sharp drop in visitor numbers since Pogacar was forced to withdraw. In recent years, there had always been an increase in unique visitors during the first and second weeks of the Vuelta. However, Pogacar’s withdrawal resulted in a 15 percent drop.PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- Tell your orange maga orangutan president to give you a better life. Capish?PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- Urška Žigart, who was third overall, crashed in the third stage, 27 km left, and abandoned the race. She has suffered another broken jaw, which likely also means the end of her season.PogiSloFans13-09-2026
- It is confusing, but my guess is that they expect it to be a procession until the last lap, by tacit agreement of the peloton.Hills3313-09-2026
- Urska herself crashed out on Stage 3 of the Faun Tour Femmes. Don't know the nature of her injuries, but I hope that she can recover in time for the WC.Cooldude13-09-2026
Loading
Write a comment