S14 Ep118: Vuelta a Espana 2026: The Preview

The 2026 Vuelta a España rolls out from Monte Carlo at the weekend, and we’ll be on the ground for the eleventh straight year to bring you all of the action, starting with our race preview.

Before Daniel Friebe and Larry Warbasse assess the route and riders, we reflect on the devastating passing of Finlay Tarling in last week’s Volta a Portugal. Harrison Wood was also racing in the Volta. He gives us the rider’s perspective of what occurred.

For our look ahead to the Vuelta, Larry honestly answers the question of whether he or any of the other riders in the field can realistically hope to beat Tadej Pogačar (clue: it’s a fairly resounding ‘no’). Having established that, we look closely at a decidedly spicy route and what opportunities it may offer riders not targeting the GC.

In Loving Memory of Finlay Tarling Following the tragic death of Finlay Tarling in stage 8 of the Volta a Portugal, a fund has been set up, with the blessing of his parents and in Finlay’s name, with the goal of providing an opportunity to help future generations of young Welsh riders. You can contribute here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-fin-s2u87

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DVine Cellars 2026 Vuelta wine selection As always at the Grand Tours, we've teamed up with DVine Cellars of London to select a case of six wines produced close to the race route, for your enjoyment. UK listeners can buy the case here https://dvinecellars.com/products/cycling-podcast-la-vuelta-2026 . The wines are as follows:

• Stage 5: • (Falset – Roquetes) – La Servera, Garnatxa (No Sulphites Added), Montsant [Red]

• Stage 9 • : (La Vila Joiosa – Alto de Aitana) – Casa Balaguer, Vino Blanco, Alicante [White]

• Stage 10: • (Alcaraz – Elche de la Sierra) – Bodegas Parra Jiménez, 'Larutan' Tempranillo, Castilla [Red]

• Stage 11: • (Cartagena – Lorca) – Casa Castillo, Monastrell, Jumilla [Red]

• Stage 15: • (Palma del Río – Córdoba) – Alvear, '3 Miradas' Vino de Pueblo Blanco 2022, Montilla [White]

Stage 18: (El Puerto de Santa María – Jerez de la Frontera) – Bodegas Barbadillo, 'Toto' Palomino Brut, Jerez [Sparkling]

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The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.