"We would have loved to welcome Pogacar, but Vingegaard's arrival was already a surprise" - Vuelta director Javier Guillén thrilled with 'dream' startlist
Cycling
Although the sprinters are absent, this year's mountainous Vuelta a Espana will be having a luxurious startlist featuring an expected battle for the red jersey including Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic, Geraint Thomas and Juan Ayuso. The race organization is very pleased with this.
“We would have loved to welcome Pogacar, but Vingegaard's arrival was already a surprise," race director Javier Guillén told In de Leiderstrui. "I was already very satisfied with the field before Vingegaard was confirmed. Now we have the winner of the Giro, the Tour and the world time trial champion. That's a dream, this is one of the best start lists in the history of the race. We'll see if everyone can deliver, but it's already a great start."
With nine mountain stages and many more hilly ones - of course not forgetting the time-trials - the overall classification will be changing quite frequently. Although Tadej Pogacar, who set much of the Tour de France on fire with his constant attacks is not present, Guillén is hopeful that the star-studded field will deliver the action. This late in the year and in a race where the heat regularly makes itself present, the unexpected is by many expected.
Guillén hopes there isn't a domination from Jumbo-Visma however: "It's a logical question, but I hope not. I know that Jumbo-Visma wants to win the Giro, Tour and Vuelta in one year and that will be a big challenge. But Evenepoel will want him to be watched and as a Spanish people we also believe in Ayuso. The Vuelta is also a race in which we are often surprised by riders, but it is true that Jumbo-Visma is currently the largest team on paper. We'll see how dominant they will be in practice."
He talked about the presence of mythical passes such as the Col du Tourmalet in the climbing-heavy route among other topics, but is also noticeably satisfied with the big Spanish figures who are present at the race. Enric Mas and Juan Ayuso were second and third last year respectively and although the task will be more difficult this time around, both come as contenders for the podium.
"It is very important that Ayuso and Mas are here, the Spanish fans need that. Spain has always delivered for the last fifty years and people want to see riders like Contador, Indurain and Pereiro. It is important that the most important Spanish riders are here, together with the biggest stars of the international circuit," he concluded.
Read also
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
¿Quién se esconde detrás de Tei Tei? Who is hiding behind Tei Tei? 🧐 #LaVuelta23
Write a comment