Five riders to watch at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana

Here are five riders who could make their mark at the 2026 edition.

Thibau Nys arrives at La Vuelta with renewed confidence after making a strong return from injury in June.

His first race back was the GP Gippingen, where he finished fourth, before producing a solid Tour de Suisse and another encouraging performance at the Belgian National Championships.

The Vuelta parcours should offer Nys plenty of opportunities, particularly on the punchier stages that suit his explosive qualities.

A first Grand Tour stage victory is a realistic target, especially if he can find his way into the right breakaway.

The Belgian could also have an important role in supporting Mads Pedersen's green jersey ambitions.

Léo Bisiaux has quietly put together an impressive season.

The young Frenchman first made his name at the 2025 Vuelta a Burgos and returned to the race in 2026 with another strong showing, finishing seventh overall and taking the white jersey.

That result has been part of a broader run of consistency. Bisiaux has also collected strong placings at San Sebastián, the French National Championships and in the Ardennes Classics.

The Spanish roads should suit him again. A strong overall finish is possible, while his climbing ability should also give him opportunities to compete for stage results.

Luke Tuckwell enjoyed a breakthrough moment at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpe in June, spending several days in the yellow jersey after impressing on the climbs.

That performance did not come out of nowhere. Tuckwell had already shown his potential in the youth ranks before stepping up in 2026, while sixth overall at the Tour de Romandie further underlined his ability.

The Vuelta will be the first Grand Tour of the Australian's career, so there will inevitably be a learning curve.

Still, he has already shown that he can compete at a high level. Spain gives him another opportunity to test himself on one of cycling's biggest stages.

Steffen De Schuyteneer is another rider preparing for his Grand Tour debut.

The 21-year-old finished second at the GP La Marseillaise early in the season before taking fourth at the Bredene Koksijde Classic. He has continued to feature consistently since, collecting 17 top ten finishes across his 2026 campaign.

The main question is whether he can translate his results into success against a deeper Grand Tour sprint field, but his age also means there is plenty of room for further progression.

De Schuyteneer will have strong support from Lotto-Intermarché, and the unpredictable nature of the Vuelta's bunch sprints could give him his chance.

Henok Mulubrahan has been having himself a season in 2026. 

The Eritrean won the final stage of the Tour du Rwanda in Kigali before finishing second overall at the Baku Khankendi Azerbaijan Cycling Race. He then added another victory on stage three of the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai, where he went on to finish third in the general classification.

Those results underline the versatility that makes Mulubrhan an interesting rider for the Vuelta. He can climb, handle repeated efforts and still produce a fast finish from a reduced group.

The level of competition will be considerably higher in Spain, but the Vuelta's rugged transitional stages should give him opportunities. If Mulubrhan can get into the right breakaways, a first Grand Tour stage result could be within reach.

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