Three-time Vuelta stage winner Jesus Herrada leads Burgos Burpellet BH's 2026 squad with two Grand Tour debutants
Cycling
Three-time Vuelta a Espana stage winner Jesus Herrada will lead Burgos Burpellet BH at the 2026 edition of the Spanish Grand Tour, with Clement Alleno and 22-year-old Cesar Macias set to make their Grand Tour debuts in an eight-man squad targeting stage victories.
Herrada will make his eighth appearance when the race begins in Monaco on August 22. The 36-year-old won Vuelta stages at Ares del Maestrat in 2019, Cistierna in 2022 and La Laguna Negra in 2023, and will now chase his first victory at the race since joining Burgos.
Jose Manuel Diaz has been named alongside Herrada as the team's other leader in the mountains. The Spaniard missed the 2025 Vuelta after breaking his collarbone shortly before the start but returns after already taking a victory in 2026 at the Classica Terres de l'Ebre.
Sergio Chumil returns after his 2025 debut wearing the Guatemalan champion's colours in both road race and time trial, while Mario Aparicio arrives after finishing 13th overall at the recent Vuelta a Burgos. Jose Luis Faura and Sinuhe Fernandez complete a group expected to spend plenty of time looking for breakaways in the mountains.
Macias took silver at the Pan-American road championships before claiming his first professional victory with a stage win at the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai in July. Burgos intend to use the first-year professional as their option in the bunch sprints, while Alleno offers more versatility on hilly days and reduced-group finishes.
Herrada and Diaz named as leaders
Burgos are preparing for their eighth Vuelta and have made a stage win the overriding objective. The team last tasted victory at their home Grand Tour seven years ago, while Herrada's three previous successes all came before he joined the Spanish ProTeam.
“We have a complete team that can adapt to all terrains,” sport director Damien Garcia said. “The leaders will be Jesus Herrada and Jose Manuel Diaz. Jesus knows what it is to win several stages at La Vuelta and Jose Manuel is a very powerful and consistent rider.”
Diaz's return gives Burgos a second proven climbing option after he missed the 2025 Vuelta with a fractured collarbone suffered days before the race. His 2026 season already includes victory at the Classica Terres de l'Ebre, while Herrada has remained consistently competitive in hilly stage races without adding to his win tally.
Sergio Chumil returns to La Vuelta
Burgos Burpellet BH – 2026 Vuelta a Espana
| Rider | Vuelta experience |
| Jesus Herrada | 8th appearance / 3 stage wins |
| Jose Manuel Diaz | 3rd appearance |
| Sergio Chumil | 2nd appearance |
| Mario Aparicio | 2nd appearance |
| Jose Luis Faura | 2nd appearance |
| Sinuhe Fernandez | 2nd appearance |
| Clement Alleno | Debut / Grand Tour debut |
| Cesar Macias | Debut / Grand Tour debut |
Herrada and Diaz will carry the strongest hopes on the hardest stages, while Burgos have deliberately spread the rest of the squad across climbing, breakaway and sprint roles in pursuit of the stage victory that has eluded the team at La Vuelta since 2019.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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