NSN bring Grand Tour veterans and exciting debutant to the 2026 Vuelta a España - Hunt for stage win on as line-up set to challenge on all terrain
Cycling
NSN Cycling Team will tackle the Vuelta a España 2026 with an eight-man roster built to seize opportunities across the three weeks. The squad blends Grand Tour experience with the excitement of three riders making their debut at this level.
George Bennett, Jan Hirt, Hugo Hofstetter, Moritz Kretschy, Alexey Lutsenko, Pau Martí, Nick Schultz, and Floris Van Tricht will be the eight riders rolling out in Monaco on Saturday, August 22nd. It’s a group with options for virtually any kind of stage and a clear focus on hunting stage wins at the Grand Tour.
Sports director Pat McCarty makes it clear the team is not prioritising the general classification. “Our goals for La Vuelta are mainly focused on stage results. We want to win a stage and be present or close to the podium on stages throughout the three weeks,” he explains.
Hugo Hofstetter stands out as the obvious card for fast finishes, while medium-mountain days and tougher finales will let the more complete riders and breakaway specialists take the initiative. The strategy will be notably aggressive, aiming to place riders in the moves whenever the route allows.
Pau Martí takes on the first Grand Tour of his career
La Vuelta will have special meaning for Pau Martí, who will ride his first Grand Tour on home roads. The young Spaniard, developed through the team’s pathway, is especially motivated for the stages in the Comunitat Valenciana, where family and friends will be out in force. His versatility could make him a key option for the rolling, medium-mountain terrain.
Alongside Martí, Moritz Kretschy and Floris Van Tricht will also make their Grand Tour debuts. Balancing them are riders with broad international experience such as Bennett, Hirt, Lutsenko, and Schultz, some of whom already have Grand Tour stage wins.
That blend of experience and youth is one of NSN’s main strengths. The team sees around five clear opportunities for the sprinters, especially on stages 2, 5, and 8, while the rest of the route should offer numerous chances for breakaways.
La Vuelta opens with a 9.4-kilometre individual time trial in Monaco and finishes in Granada after 21 stages and more than 58,000 metres of cumulative elevation gain. NSN Cycling Team intends to make its presence felt and capitalise on every chance.
NSN Cycling Team
NSN Cycling Team at La Vuelta
| Rider |
| George Bennett |
| Jan Hirt |
| Hugo Hofstetter |
| Moritz Kretschy |
| Alexey Lutsenko |
| Pau Martí |
| Nick Schultz |
| Floris Van Tricht |
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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- Yes, Roglic could theoretically have beaten Sepp. Jonas must have had complete confidence that he could come back and win the Vuelta another year. Visma had not allowed Roglic to ride the Tour that year, so his future did not look so bright, despite his narrow Giro win..Hills3315-11-2026
- So far, a good series about riders before my time, even if the text feels AI generated like so much on this site. About the rider, he seems like one of many who are active fan favorites but don’t survive in the stories of cycling, a few decades later - I didn’t really know anything about him and this was a good read, thank you!RidesHills15-11-2026
- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- 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
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