Remco Evenepoel leads Quick-Step at Vuelta a Espana with strong support and Julian Alaphilippe to chase wins
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel's ambitions of becoming a Grand Tour rider and Julian Alaphilippe's hunt for form will be the main plots to follow for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team across this Vuelta a Espana, as the Belgian team announces strong support crew for the climbing ambitions.
Team DS Klaas Lodewyck has said: “Remco and Julian will be the leaders of the squad for this last Grand Tour of the season, one comprising many hard stages, from the Basque Country ones to those in the high mountains. For Remco, this will be a whole new adventure. He doesn’t start as a favourite for the general classification, and we will just take it day by day and see how things to".
After struggling through the Giro d'Italia last year after poor preparation, much has been discussed regarding his chances here, and a lot of preparation went into having him in good form and perfect weight to tackle a very mountainous race. He comes off the back of a win at the Clasica San Sebastian, and will be an outsider for the GC - albeit a favourite for many stages.
World champion Julian Alaphilippe will also be on the hunt for stage wins, although his good form is yet to show after a string of injuries and illnesses over the last few months. “Julian comes at the start after a tough season, but he has been working hard and will target some of the stages," Lodewyck said. "The two of them have a strong supporting cast, the entire team is ready and motivated, and we look forward to the next couple of weeks.”
The two will have the support of Ilan van Wilder, fifth at the Vuelta a Burgos where he's managed to evade the injuries that have spoilt his season, and Fausto Masnada who was runner up at Il Lombardia last season. Louis Vervaeke, Pieter Serry and Dries Devenyns will also be quality riders for the hilly and mountainous days, whilst Rémi Cavagna will be the main domestique on the flat stages for the Belgian.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team for Vuelta a Espana: Remco Evenepoel, Julian Alaphilippe, Rémi Cavagna, Dries Devenyns, Fausto Masnada, Pieter Serry, Ilan van Wilder and Louis Vervaeke.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
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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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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Julian & Rémi & Dries & Remco & Fausto & Pieter & Ilan & Louis The Wolfpack is ready for 🇪🇸 @lavuelta 👊
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