2026 Vuelta a España stage 5 preview | Visma and Brennan look to strike again

Time to catch our breath after that grueling ride through Andorra... After all those kilometers of climbing, the riders will face a relatively flat stage. But it won’t really be flat. For some riders, it will also be familiar territory. Who has the best knowledge of the course, and can anyone prevent a sprint? IDL Pro Cycling breaks down the stage.

After four days, it’s time for the flattest stage of the race so far. But “flat” in Spain doesn’t really mean much. That’s true here as well. The stage starts in Falset. Costa Daurada, and the route immediately features some ups and downs for the first fifty kilometers. It’s never particularly difficult, and there are no climbs included, but it could be good terrain for the breakaway riders.

After that, it’s long—really, really long—and completely flat. From the moment we reach the coast at L’Ampolla, it’s over fifty kilometers of terrain as flat as a billiard table, with absolutely no elevation gain. While we’ve been riding southward up to this point, we make a left turn in Deltebre. At Amposta, we even turn north. We pass the finish line at the 70-kilometer mark, but we’ll keep heading north for a bit longer.

There’s an intermediate sprint in Tivenys, and that’s when things get interesting. For about forty kilometers, there isn’t a single meter of flat terrain. There are a few uncategorized climbs on the course: one that’s 2.9 kilometers long at a 5.7 percent grade, one that’s 2.7 kilometers long at a 6.4 percent grade, and so on. They’re not leg-breakers, but they’re still really tough.

After four of those small hills, the race tackles the Alto de Pauls, a 3.9-kilometer climb with a 6.6 percent gradient. This is the longest and toughest climb in this stage, and it is officially categorized. From the summit, it’s about 25 kilometers to the finish, and after a descent—which also has some ups and downs—there are another fifteen kilometers of flat terrain.

The finish is in Terres de l'Ebre. That’s where a new one-day race has been held for the past three years—the Classica Terres de l'Ebre—which Isaac Del Toro won last year. The Alto de Pauls is also the decisive climb there, but the finish line is uphill. There’s also a slight climb in Roquetes, but the rest of the course is mostly flat. There’s a sharp left turn 2 kilometers from the finish, but also a sharp right turn just 300 meters away. That right turn will be crucial if it comes down to a sprint.

Times
Start: 1:34 p.m.
Finish: 5:20 p.m.

A warm day in Spain. The temperature will reach 33 degrees, with a breeze coming from the sea. It won't be too strong, so don't expect to see anyone using fans.

With a course like this, we can normally expect a sprint finish. The heaviest riders might struggle a bit on the hills, but Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) has already shown he can climb exceptionally well. On top of that, he also seems to be the fastest rider in the race. If things turn out differently, Visma | Lease a Bike has a Plan B with Wout van Aert or Christophe Laporte.

The question is whether Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) is still in the mix. When it comes to speed, he might just be the man to beat Brennan. Other riders who might still dare to go for the sprint include Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step), Ben Turner (Netcompany INEOS), Hugo Hofstetter (NSN), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Orluis Aular (Movistar), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech), and Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché).

Of course, Mads Pedersen is perhaps Visma | Lease a Bike’s biggest challenger. Would he benefit from a tougher race? It’s possible, but a feat like the one he pulled off in the Tour earlier this year seems unlikely on this course. Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious), David González (Pinarello - Q36.5), and Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) could also be strong contenders, but they typically need a tougher race to perform at their best.

César Macias is the sprinter for Burgos Burpellet BH, while XDS Astana has Alessandro Romele on its roster. Marc Brustenga is riding for Equipo Kern Pharma, but he struggled on the climbs. Mats Wenzel is also in the race.

There may also be riders who want to make a move from the early breakaway or, conversely, in the hilly section of the day. Think, for example, of natural attackers like Magnus Cort and Frederik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS), Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ), and Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon CMA CGM).

Top Favorite: Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Dark horses: Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Ben Turner (Netcompany INEOS), and Orluis Aular (Movistar)
Long shots: Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious), Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step), Hugo Hofstetter (NSN), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché), David Gonzalez (Pinarello-Q36.5), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Magnus Cort, Frederik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS), Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ), Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon CMA CGM), and Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike)