Tiberi and Ayuso return to San Sebastián after Giro setbacks, Picnic with Onley: "We want to keep building on that momentum"

UAE Team Emirates is bringing a very strong selection to northern Spain. With Juan Ayuso and Isaac Del Toro, the team has two leaders, and the latter in particular is in great shape. He has won four of his last six races and gave a victory to teammate Igor Arrieta. The Mexican will be one of the big favorites for the win. “I’m excited to be heading back to San Sebastián,” he said on the team's website. “he Basque fans are really passionate about cycling and always bring a special atmosphere.”

The Emirates team seems well on its way to securing even more victories than last year: just after the Tour, it has already recorded 68 wins. “The team is on a great wave at the moment. We are working hard and enjoying ourselves at the races, and I think things are flowing well. The level at San Sebastián will be high, but I feel with the team we have, we can be competitive.”

In addition to Del Toro and Ayuso, the team will start with Igor Arrieta, who recently won the Prueba Villafranca - Ordiziako Klasika. There, the team achieved a 1-2-3 finish, with Del Toro and António Morgado also on the podium. The team will also consist of Jan Christen, Alessandro Covi, Domen Novak, and Jay Vine.

Where UAE Team Emirates - XRG is focusing on riders who have had a (relatively) quiet summer, Picnic PostNL is pinning all its hopes on perhaps the revelation of the recent Tour de France. Oscar Onley, who finished fourth in Paris, will be the team leader. ‘We’re heading into San Sebastian with Oscar as our finisher, coming off a very strong performance in the Tour de France,’ explains coach Christian Guiberteau on the team's website. ‘The goal is to build on that momentum.’

However, the Dutch team will have more aces up its sleeve. Frank van den Broek and Warren Barguil will be given free rein. “Warren and Frank also showed great form during the Tour, and they’ll be ready to anticipate moves and go on the attack if the situation calls for it. The rest of the team is fully committed to supporting Oscar and making sure he’s in the best possible position for the final. It’s a demanding race, but we’re motivated and ready to make an impact.” Onley will be further supported by Dutchman Enzo Leijnse, Alex Edmondson, Romain Combaud, and Kevin Vermaerke.

Bahrain Victorious will also be aiming for a Tour laureate. “Lenny Martinez will be our leader,” team manager Neil Stephens said in a press release. “He’s the rider most suited to the explosive nature of Erlaitz and Murgil. The team will give him full support. If he recovers well post-Tour, he will be our best card for a podium finish.” Martinez wore the polka dot jersey for a long time in the Tour, but had to hand it over to Tadej Pogacar.

The young Frenchman is not alone. With Pello Bilbao, he has an experienced Basque rider at his side, but Antonio Tiberi should also be able to keep up for a long time. He may act as co-leader. "Antonio is in excellent condition and well-suited to this route. We’ll evaluate our tactical options after km 165. We have the depth and versatility to target a podium and aim to place two riders in the top ten. That’s our goal,” Stephens concludes. “We’ll race with confidence, intelligence, and commitment. The team is in great spirits, and we’re ready to fight."

Tiberi returns to racing after the Giro d'Italia, where he finished 17th in the overall classification, partly thanks to a crash. The Italian will shift his focus to the Vuelta. The selection in San Sebastian will be completed by ‘joker’ Damiano Caruso, Fran Miholjevic, Edoardo Zambanini, and Dutch rider Matthijs Paasschens.