Five breakout riders who exceeded expectations in 2026

Few riders made a stronger impression against the clock in 2026 than Callum Thornley, who came within seconds of a Grand Tour stage victory in his first professional season.

The 23-year-old Scot announced himself on his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España, finishing fourth in the opening prologue in Monaco behind Tadej Pogačar, Ethan Hayter and Joshua Tarling.

But his most impressive performance came almost three weeks later. On the 32.1-kilometre time trial to Jerez de la Frontera, Thornley finished second behind Stefan Küng, missing out on victory by just three seconds. In the process, he beat established names including João Almeida, Primož Roglič and Wout van Aert.

The result marked a significant step forward for the young Scot, who had already shown promise against the clock at under-23 level.

Thornley finished fifth in the under-23 World Championships time trial in 2025 and followed that with ninth place at the elite European Championships in Slovenia in October 2026.

He previously rode for Trinity Racing, winning the mountains classification at the 2024 Tour of Britain before making the step up to the WorldTour.

His Vuelta performances suggest he could become a regular contender in major time trials in the seasons ahead.

Alessandro Romele finished the 2026 Vuelta a España without a stage victory, but his performances across three weeks suggested that his first WorldTour win may not be far away.

The Italian turned 23 during the race and eventually finished third in the points classification, behind Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan.

What stood out was his ability to compete on different terrain.

On stage 5 into Roquetes, Romele finished fourth in a bunch sprint against established fast finishers. On the demanding stage to Loja, he took fifth from a reduced group after a category-one climb. Then, on the shortened stage 15 to Córdoba, he finished second to Van Aert from a five-man breakaway.

"Finishing second behind Wout van Aert is something I could only have dreamed of a year ago," Romele said afterwards. "I can be proud of myself."

Before stepping up to the WorldTour, Romele had already shown his potential, finishing second overall at both the Tour of Istanbul and Tour of Rhodes in 2024, winning two stages in the latter. He also finished ninth at Paris-Tours Espoirs in 2023.

He gained further experience at Paris-Roubaix in April, finishing 82nd.

A first victory at WorldTour level remains elusive, but his Vuelta performances showed he can compete across a wide range of terrain, from bunch sprints to more demanding stages.

Jakob Omrzel was not supposed to ride a Grand Tour in 2026. By the end of the Vuelta a España, he had won a mountain stage, finished seventh overall and established himself as one of the most exciting young climbing talents in the peloton.

The Slovenian was just 20 years old when he made his Grand Tour debut, having originally been expected to spend his first professional season gaining experience in shorter races.

"At the start of the season we said that in the first year I shouldn't start a Grand Tour," Omrzel told Domestique.

"First I was a bit sceptical, because three weeks. But day after day I was just realising that the Vuelta is for sure the best option, and with no pressure I go there. I was not meant to be a leader, just go day by day and try to get the experience in."

His confidence began to grow on stage 7 to Aramón Valdelinares, where he joined the breakaway on a day won by Andreas Leknessund.

"There I found out, okay, maybe I have the legs to really compete in another breakaway. If the climb is a bit longer and steeper, for sure I am able to get there."

Five days later, that belief translated into victory.

On stage 12 to Calar Alto, Omrzel emerged from a breakaway containing experienced teammates Pello Bilbao and Santiago Buitrago to claim his first Grand Tour stage win. At 20, he became the youngest Slovenian to win a stage in one of cycling's three Grand Tours.

Their presence gave him the confidence to attack.

"You are safe, you know that you have two guys who know how to read the race. This was also the reason why I was so confident pushing, why I was not scared to push on these pedals and go," he explained.

Omrzel's race did not end there. He remained competitive in the general classification and battled Oscar Onley for the white jersey deep into the final week, eventually finishing seventh overall and just over a minute behind the Briton in the youth classification.

The effort took its toll, prompting him to withdraw from the World Championships through fatigue and instead target the European Championships.

Hailing from Novo Mesto, Omrzel has inevitably attracted comparisons with fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogačar. He has been quick to play them down.

"Pogi is one of a kind, and to compare with Pogi is a bit of nonsense."

His Vuelta performance, however, has given Bahrain-Victorious good reason to be optimistic about his future.

Marco Brenner turned professional as one of Europe's most promising juniors. Six years later, the German enjoyed his best season yet, winning the Tour de Pologne overall and a stage at the Vuelta a España.

His victory in Poland came through consistency, with second, third and fourth places across three stages before he sealed the overall title with seventh in the final time trial.

At the Vuelta, illness and a crash on stage 6 disrupted his opening two weeks. But on stage 14 to Sierra de La Pandera, Brenner caught Santiago Buitrago on the final climb, lost contact when the Colombian accelerated, then fought back to beat him in the sprint.

It was his first Grand Tour stage victory, a moment he described as the best day of his cycling life.

Brenner joined Team DSM at just 18 in 2021, but struggled to live up to his junior reputation during three seasons with the squad. A move to Tudor in 2024 brought better results, including the German national road title that year.

His two major victories in 2026 were also among Tudor's biggest results of the season, alongside Stefan Küng's Vuelta time trial win in Jerez de la Frontera.

Now 24 and under contract until 2030, Brenner has finally turned his early promise into major victories.

Pepijn Reinderink took his first professional victory at the Tour de Luxembourg in September, attacking on the Montée de Haemerich with seven kilometres remaining on the queen stage into Diekirch.

The 24-year-old Dutchman held off Davide Piganzoli and Thomas Gachignard by just one second, making his late attack count. The victory also put him into the mountains jersey, three points ahead of Nils Politt at the time. He eventually finished second in that classification behind Mathieu van der Poel.

A month later, Reinderink showed his ability against the clock, finishing fourth in the Eneco Tour time trial in Tilburg behind Jakob Söderqvist, Finn Fisher-Black and Ethan Hayter. It was another encouraging result in a season that saw him make progress on different types of terrain.

The Dutch under-23 road champion in 2023, Reinderink came through Development Team DSM before switching to Soudal Quick-Step's development squad. He earned an early promotion to the WorldTour team for 2024, but had to wait until this season for his first professional victory.

His results in Luxembourg and Tilburg suggest there could be more opportunities ahead for the Dutchman, both in breakaways and against the clock.