Cautiously positive news from the UAE and Red Bull sickbays before the Vuelta a España: 'Alive again'

Last week, the Tour of Burgos was considered the premier preparatory race for the Vuelta a España. On the one hand, we saw strong performances from riders such as Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS), and Enric Mas (Movistar), but several other riders had more bad luck and did not finish the race.

For example, Primoz Roglič. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Slovenian is not yet certain to ride the Vuelta at all due to a collision during training. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe backed Giulio Pellizzari and Luke Tuckwell at Burgos. Pellizzari confirmed his form by winning the final stage, a stage in which Tuckwell, ranked 12th overall, did not start. However, Pellizzari does not appear to be riding the Vuelta in 2026.

Tuckwell, the 22-year-old Australian who finished second at Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and sixth in the Tour de Romandie, wasn’t feeling well and didn’t start Wednesday’s stage. Things were quiet on Strava for a few days as well, until Tuckwell went for a 20-kilometer ride in Andorra on Wednesday. He titles his ride “Alive Again”, suggesting that he has indeed been through a bit of a rough patch.

Another of Tuckwell’s compatriots, Jay Vine of UAE Emirates-XRG, also failed to finish Burgos. He crashed during the final stage and ultimately did not complete the race. Footage showed that his right side was covered in bruises and scrapes, but fortunately, serious injuries were ruled out for the unlucky rider.

On Tuesday, Vine scouted the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España, which will be held in Andorra. The Australian is one of the designated climbing support riders for Tadej Pogačar in the Vuelta a España, along with Joao Almeida and Pablo Torres. Almeida had to withdraw from the Tour of Poland after a crash, but is expected to make the start as planned.

The 20-year-old Torres finished strong in the Tour of Burgos, after a knee injury kept him sidelined for much of this year. The climber, who made a big impression in the 2024 Tour de l'Avenir and earned a contract with UAE Emirates-XRG through 2029 as a result, will be making his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta.

"I can be very satisfied with my week. I think that as a team, we tried everything today to win a stage, but in the end, it was a tough battle for the general classification on the final climb. So I did my best to finish as high as possible, and eighth place is once again a very positive result. I’ve reached a good level of form, and I’m looking forward to the coming weeks to continue building toward the Vuelta,” he said.