Can Kern Pharma repeat 2024 Vuelta a España heroics? Spanish team announce line-up for return to race
Cycling
Equipo Kern Pharma has confirmed its eight for the Vuelta a España 2026, a particularly significant edition for a structure heading into its third appearance in the Spanish Grand Tour with two clear aims: fight for a stage win and help secure the continuity of a project that will lose its main sponsor at the end of the season.
The presentation took place on Tuesday at the Casa del Deporte in the Navarra Arena, attended by the Regional Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism of the Government of Navarra, Rebeca Esnaola, and the team’s general manager, Juanjo Oroz. The event reaffirmed the roots of a setup closely linked to Navarrese cycling and the Asociación Deportiva Galibier, founded in 1993 by Manolo Azcona.
Three decades on from those origins, the team has consolidated itself as one of the main development platforms in Spanish cycling. Under Oroz’s leadership, the structure stepped up to the professional ranks in 2020 with the backing of Kern Pharma, starting a seven-season cycle that will conclude at the end of 2026.
La Vuelta is also a race full of memories for the pharmaceutical squad. After debuting in 2022, the team enjoyed a breakout 2024 edition with three stage wins. Pablo Castrillo triumphed at Estación de Manzaneda and Cuitu Negru, while Urko Berrade capped the historic haul with victory in Maestu.
Urko Berrade, cornerstone for La Vuelta
Berrade will be one of the leaders of this year’s eight. The Navarrese rider, developed in the team’s own academy, will front a line-up that once again puts grassroots work centre stage. Alongside him will be four more riders from AD Galibier: Cantabrian Iván Cobo, Biscayan Iñigo Elosegui, Alavese Ibon Ruiz, and fellow Navarrese Diego Uriarte.
The block is completed by Marc Brustenga, a fast finisher, Luxembourg’s Mats Wenzel, and Colombia’s Iván Sosa, forming a balanced team mixing youth, breakaway prowess, speed, and climbing.
Oroz has set the target without ambiguity: “to guarantee the survival of the project and take a stage win.” The team arrives at La Vuelta with six victories this season and several riders who have opened their professional accounts.
Standing out among them is Ibon Ruiz, winner of the Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes Maritimes and part of a one-two with Sosa in that race. It will also be a first experience for Diego Uriarte, who will tackle three consecutive weeks of racing for the first time. The Navarrese rider, one of the team’s most combative, has already announced his intention to target breakaways and seize winning chances.
With Berrade as the main reference and the academy as its identity, Kern Pharma faces a Vuelta where raising their arms again would mean far more than a sporting success: it would be another argument to keep alive a project built over more than three decades around young talent.
Kern Pharma
Equipo Kern Pharma at the Vuelta a Espana
| Riders |
| Marc Brustenga |
| Iván Cobo |
| Iñigo Elosegui |
| Ibon Ruiz |
| Urko Berrade |
| Diego Uriarte |
| Iván Sosa |
| Mats Wenzel |
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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