"We want it to be that way" - Former teammate of Oier Lazkano laments but believes suspension was the right decision
Cycling
After becoming the great star of the Movistar Team, Iván Romeo dreams of a 2026 season that surpasses a magical 2025. The young cyclist from Valladolid was the best rider of the team throughout the season, winning victories such as the Dauphiné and the Spanish Championship. He has also discussed the suspension of Oier Lazkano, with whom he was a teammate in 2023 and 2024.
For next year, as he pointed out in an interview with MARCA during his participation in an exhibition in Singapore, his plan is to ride a similar calendar to the one he rode last season. That means he will repeat in the Tour de France, if all goes well. The possible participation in the Vuelta a España remains up in the air:
"I will repeat quite a few races, and in theory if everything goes well I will do the Tour de France. It's going to be a year that I hope to do things in a similar way but at a slightly higher level," Romeo said during the interview.
Ivan Romeo says Tour de France 2026 will be his big goal for the year. @Sirotti
Oier Lazkano
Oier Lazkano's doping case has shaken cycling, especially Spanish cycling. The Basque rider is provisionally suspended by the UCI due to anomalies in his biological passport between 2022 and 2024, when he rode for Movistar Team. For this reason, the cyclist has been dismissed from Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe while the process is still being investigated.
The news has made an impact on practically everyone. That is why it was impossible that the question about the case of Oier Lazkano did not appear.
And the Movistar Team star's response has not gone unnoticed, far from it. About everything that is happening, Romeo was quite clear: "In cycling this is always going to be given more ball to this, it's going to be much more drastic. But I think it has to be that way, it's what we all want. The stricter and more these behaviors are sanctioned, the cleaner."
In addition, Ivan Romeo also commented on the fact that it seems that cycling is more marked by doping than other sports: "We want it to be that way. Teams pay more to WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency, ed.) than any other sport for more testing. Cycling's past has been very bad, but I think it's going in the right direction."
Oier Lazkano, provisionally suspended by UCI. @Imago
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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- 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
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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