“I suffered a lot, but I’m taking plenty of positives” - Santiago Buitrago misses out on a stage win but conquers KOM jersey
Cycling
Santiago Buitrago closed the Vuelta a España 2026 with one of the race’s big prizes: the mountains jersey. The Bahrain Victorious rider defended the blue-dots jersey all the way to Granada and won a classification he fought for over three weeks.
The mountains triumph is a major reward for Buitrago, especially after a Vuelta in which he had several chances to chase a stage win. The Bahrain rider came close more than once, taking second at Peñas Blancas and another strong result in the high mountains, but finished the race without a stage to celebrate.
Even so, Buitrago leaves the race satisfied after carrying to Granada a jersey he considers especially important for him and for his country. The Colombian expressed his happiness after completing the Vuelta and finally locking down the mountains jersey.
Santiago Buitrago ended the Vuelta a España with a smile after defending the mountains jersey all the way to Granada. The Bahrain Victorious rider could not land the stage victory he chased during the race, but he does leave the Spanish Grand Tour with one of the standout individual prizes.
Santiago Buitrago won the KOM jersey at La Vuelta
“I’m super happy to arrive here in Granada and to have defended this jersey. Taking this jersey home is a source of pride, and I hope everyone back in my country enjoyed it as much as I did,” Buitrago said after finishing the race, in quotes reported by EFE.
The Colombian also acknowledged the huge effort the Vuelta demanded, although he believes the experience leaves a very positive balance. “I suffered a lot, I suffered too much, but I’m taking more good things from what I fought for every day, from the great team we had in this Vuelta. I’m taking beautiful memories,” he added.
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Buitrago narrowly misses out in Peñas Blancas
Buitrago thus puts a full stop on a Vuelta in which he played a key role in both the stage hunt and the mountains fight, though he’s left with the sting of not turning his attacks into a win. At Peñas Blancas, for instance, he finished second after being overhauled by Eddie Dunbar in the final kilometres.
Despite that, the Colombian departs with the recognition of being the race’s best climber and with a jersey that carries special meaning for him. His Vuelta experience, moreover, does not appear to be the last: “I’ll definitely be back,” he concluded.
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
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