Louis Meintjes conquers "one of my goals in my career" at brutal Vuelta a Espana finale showdown
Cycling
Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux have been performing at a very high level this year, and that has driven Louis Meintjes into the best results of his career at 30 years of age. This afternoon he took the stage win at the Vuelta a Espana, a career-best for the South African.
“It's my first time on the highest podium in a WorldTour race. That was one of my goals in my career," Meintjes said in a post-race interview. "The last few days I couldn't follow the classification riders in the mountains. So if that doesn't work, I'll just have to try the attack. That went well".
Meintjes joined the move on the right day, as it lacked the pure climbers that battled for the glory on the previous day. “The team controlled the race. Then I tried it once and I was immediately satisfied," he detailed. He was part of a ten-rider group which saw some moves before the start of the final climb, however without enough of a gap to keep him away from the win.
“I wasn't really convinced that I would win on the final climb. It was a tough day and I had to do a little more work in the leading group. That's why I wasn't sure if I had the best legs," however he easily dispatched the competition in the double-digit gradients, taking his second win of the season, sixth of his career and first Grand Tour - and World Tour - win. This, only a month after finishing seventh in a highly competitive Tour de France.
"The final climb was really tough. It wasn't about attacking, because it was just a time trial to the finish," he concluded. Meintjes has also risen to 16th place in the GC with this result, but with a stage win in the pocket the South African will already have his accomplishment.
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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.
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- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
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VICTORY FOR LOUIS MEINTJES!!!!!!!!!!! #LAVUELTA22
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