Your Monday cycling news roundup, heavy on the Vuelta, including a deep look into the superteams battle shaping the GC contest. Plus we check in on the Americans riding in Spain, preview the upcoming Tour of Britain, share a special raffle from the Geraint Thomas Cycling Trust — and honor cancer survivor and Red Jersey bearer Torstein Træen, via his Instagram.
TOP STORY:
- A Tale of Two (Very Different) Teams: Visma vs. UAE at the Vuelta
Race News:
- De Lie Storms the Bretagne Classic
- Strong American Showing through Nine Vuelta Stages
- Tour of Britain Startlist Boasts Top Stars
- Seixas, Holmgren Take Tour de l’Avenir Titles
Rider and Team News:
- Chris Froome Crashes in Training, Future in Question
- GTCT Raffle Aims to Get More Kids on Bikes
- Signingpalooza: Bahrain, Q36.5, Soudal Quick-Step and More
- What Can we Learn from…Torstein Træen’s Instagram?
A Tale of Two (Very Different) Teams: Visma vs. UAE at the Vuelta
Nearly halfway through the three-week race, this Vuelta is thus far playing out the way most had expected, pitting cycling’s two superteams against one another. While Lidl-Trek continues to lay claim to third-superteam status, and while it’s Bahrain Victorious that holds the Red Jersey, thanks to Torstein Træen’s valiant, ongoing campaign, with every GC-decisive stage, this Vuelta is evidently a two-team race — an even one until Sunday’s Stage 9.
How these two teams are waging this battle, however, is wildly different. It’s all-for-one vs. every-man-for-himself.
The “one” in all-for-one is Jonas Vingegaard: Visma | Lease A Bike is mustering a classic phalanx style approach, lining up support riders in tight formation heading into a final climb. Van Baarle and Campanaerts pull into the lower slopes; Tulett, then Kelderman and finally Kuss, firmly back in a domestique role tow Vingegaard for as long as they can. Jorgenson, Visma’s distant second GC option, is held in reserve, though will absolutely sacrifice himself for Vingegaard if needed. And with sometime-sprinter Axel Zingle out of the race, the team has coalesced even more confidently around its, and around its single, single-minded strategy: All for Jonas.
Jonas is so protected you can’t even see him.
UAE’s tactics couldn’t be more different — starting with the note that “tactics” suggests that the team has a plan. Rather, each rider seems to have his own goals and his own approach. Jay Vine loses time so that he’ll be able to get into breaks later — and then seizes on that freedom, winning stage 6 and capturing the Polka-Dot Jersey, possibly for the remainder of the Vuelta. Juan Ayuso has been emulating that plan, crumbling on Stage 6, then roaring back on 7; he’s a stage hunter now. Joao Almeida, now clearly playing the team’s best GC hand, rides largely on his own as Marc Soler launches a fool’s-errand attack late in a stage. (Notably, the one time when UAE had to ride united, the team time trial, they won the stage.)
Vine, Soler, and Ayuso — and Almeida nowhere to be seen.
Through eight stages, the winning approach seemed to be UAE’s: they were throwing everything against the wall, and a lot was sticking, including three stage wins and Vine’s Polka-Dot jersey. But on the final climb of Stage 9, when Visma launched a three-man attack (Kuss, Jorgenson and Vingegaard), Almeida was — sure enough — all alone. Then when the grade settled slightly and a draft would have been valuable, rather than a teammate who can time trial — Ayuso comes to mind — Almeida had only an uncooperative Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) for company.
Maybe Ayuso doesn’t want to hear about a team plan.
The phalanx approach, which teams from Postal to Sky/Ineos to Visma have wielded to successful effect, doesn’t make for great racing, but this Vuelta’s parcours, with one “hockey stick” stage after another, it’s especially potent.
Jonas, on the other hand, clearly hears support from his fans — and his team.
Perhaps when this Vuelta is over, UAE will have an array of prizes to show for their scattered effort — more stage wins seem likely, and Vine should hang onto the climber’s jersey. But let’s not kid ourselves: every Grand Tour — and especially the ones that don’t happen in France — are about the GC. Few remember who won a stage, or a lesser jersey, especially in the Vuelta. Visma is playing the long, cautious, and ultimately smart game. We’re glad we bet on Team Jonas.
For stage-by-stage accounts since our last EuroTrash, check out the following PEZ stories:
RACE NEWS
De Lie Storms the Bretagne Classic
Sunday’s Bretagne Classic – Ouest-France served up an antithesis to the Vuelta’s climbing stages, covering delivered another thrilling chapter in cycling’s late-summer calendar on Sunday, August 31, 2025. Over 262 kilometers of serpentine Breton roads and nearly 4,700 meters of climbing accumulated over innumerable stalagmite-esque ascents.
The race splintered repeatedly on the climbs, with breakaways forming and fading under the pressure of the WorldTour’s strongest squads. A decisive move came inside the final 20 kilometers, when a reduced group of contenders escaped the main bunch. Despite probing attacks from the likes of Jhonatan Narváez and Tim Wellens, the group stayed largely intact until the final kilometer.
In a furious uphill sprint, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) launched perfectly, holding off Frenchman Emilien Jeannière and Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij. De Lie’s victory in not only showcased his punch and resilience but also confirmed his evolution into one of the peloton’s most reliable finishers.
For De Lie, this win adds weight to an already standout 2025 campaign, marked by consistency across the Classics and a handful of stage wins earlier in the season. The 23-year-old Belgian has increasingly proven he can handle both flat sprints and hilly one-day races, making him a versatile weapon for Lotto-Dstny. His triumph in Plouay suggests he is ready to graduate from promising talent to genuine Classics leader, a mantle Belgian cycling has been eager to see filled.
Strong American Showing through Nine Vuelta Stages
Riccitello has hung with all but the strongest climbers.
American riders have turned in strong showings thus far in the Vuelta, led by Matteo Jorgenson, in 8th position, and Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech), currently holding the 13th spot in the GC; Riccitello is also closely contesting the Young Rider competition.
Riccitello’s compatriots Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss have ridden well, if loyally, in the high mountains, serving as Visma | Lease A Bike teammate Jonas Vingegaard’s chief support riders.
2024 National Champion Sean Quinn (EF Education–EasyPost) and Kevin Vermaerke have been active in breakaways, while Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) appears perched for a breakout result.
As this race moves into even higher mountains, look for these riders to slide into domestique roles — all but Riccitello, who seems to have assumed a firm leadership role.
Seixas, Holmgren Take Tour de l’Avenir Titles
The 2025 Tour de l’Avenir wrapped with a pair of breakthrough overall winners who stamped themselves as the next wave of stage-racing talent.
In the men’s edition, Paul Seixas delivered a performance that has French fans buzzing. The 18-year-old not only won the opening prologue but closed the race with a searing climbing time trial on the Col de la Loze, securing both stage 6a and the decisive 6b test. That bookend dominance, combined with mature defensive riding in the Alps, gave Seixas the GC and made him the first Frenchman since David Gaudu in 2016 to win the “Tour of the Future.” Behind him, Jarno Widar (Belgium) and Jørgen Nordhagen (Norway) confirmed their reputations with consistent climbing, but neither could match Seixas’s finishing punch.
The women’s race saw Isabella Holmgren (Canada) confirm her status as a multifaceted talent. Already a cyclocross and MTB champion, Holmgren translated her engine to the road with multiple stage wins and an emphatic GC victory. Her versatility—handling rolling terrain and high mountains alike—sets her apart as she heads toward the elite ranks.
Holmgren at the Itzulia Women’s Race earlier this year.
Tour of Britain Startlist Boasts Top Stars
September’s other stage race begins tomorrow, and the start list features several notable names, from veterans to up-and-comers. 114 riders representing 19 teams and 20 different nations are due to start the 21st modern edition of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, which begins in Woodbridge, East Suffolk, on Tuesday 2 September
RIDER & TEAM NEWS
Chris Froome Crashes in Training, Future in Question
Chris Froome crashed seriously while training near Monaco Wednesday and was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital.
Froome suffered a collapsed lung, five broken ribs, and a fractured lumbar vertebra. He underwent surgery soon after arriving at the hospital in Toulon, France.
Froome’s cycling future was uncertain even before this accident, as his contract with Israel-Premier tech ends at the end of this year. This accident is of course not Froome’s first: he crashed heavily in 2019, and has never returned to the form that won him four Tour de France titles.
GTCT Raffle Aims to Get More Kids on Bikes
To celebrate Geraint Thomas’ final race — the Tour of Britain, ending in his hometown, Cardiff, Wales — the Geraint Thomas Cycling Trust is holding a special raffle. Some of Thomas’ supporters have donated incredible prizes, with proceeds going towards the work of the Trust.
The charity’s mission is to get 5,000 kids on bikes by 2028. Since the Trust gave out its first grant in 2022, it has supported 32 community groups, and up and coming individuals across England and Wales.
The top winner will receive a brand new Pinarello F-Series F7 Di2 bike (worth £7,000), while other prizes are available for four other lucky supporters.
Other prizes include:
- Two brand new pairs of signed SunGod glasses
- A brand new pair of special-edition QUOC shoes (only two pairs ever made!)
- A signed KASK Elemento helmet in the INEOS livery
- A signed INEOS Grenadiers team bundle.
Tickets are just £5, and every single ticket sold will help GTCT get more kids on bikes.
- To enter the raffle and support the Geraint Thomas Cycling Trust, click here.
Signingpalooza: Bahrain, Q36.5, Soudal Quick-Step and More
Transfer season continues, and numerous teams have been expanding their ranks. We’ll run through several of them here.
Team Bahrain Victorious has enlisted Spanish rider Pau Miquel. The 25-year-old turned professional in 2022 and has since shown a finishing flash, as well as the ability to handle both classics and Grand Tour style climbs.
On the women’s side, Human Powered Health has signed Swiss climbing talent Petra Stiasny and TT and classics specialist Marta Jaskulska.
In yet another high-profile signing designed to elevate the team to the highest UCI ranks, Q36.5 has added Quinten Hermans. The 30-year-old Belgian has gradually moved from cyclocross to road racing in recent years achieving strong results in the Tour of Belgium, Tour de Wallonie and Flèche du Sud.
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has signed longtime pro Gianni Vermeersch. The Belgian rider will further strengthen the team’s classics squad.
Cériel Desal will join the Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team next season, where he’ll bring his experience and guide the young riders of what is one of the most successful feeder teams in the sport, scoring more than 50 victories over the past three seasons.
As it enters its fourth season, Tudor Pro Cycling announced the high-profile signing of Stefan Küng, alongside versatile Italian Luca Mozzato and homegrown talent Robin Donzé.
What Can we Learn from…Torstein Træen’s Instagram?
We’ve been running this series on Thursdays, but we’re committing to this exception to honor the Red Jersey wearer Torstein Træen of Bahrain Victorious. (We don’t want to suggest “While he still has it,” but…)
Træen’s story is incredible: he got popped on a doping test — not for PEDs, but for testicular cancer, which the test revealed.
That was in 2022. Just more than 3 years later, Træen remarkably sits atop the Vuelta leaderboard after courageously escaping the break on Stage 6’s final climb, and mightily hanging onto the GC group in Stages 7 and 9.
What can we learn from Træen’s Instagram? That’s he’s a total inspiration. Chapeau, Torstein!
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The bucket-list worthy Whistler Gran Fondo runs this weekend – Sept. 6th. Here’s a look at the course from above…
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The PEZ NEWSWIRE!
Don’t forget to check the “NEWSWIRE” section, you can find it on the homepage, just above the PEZ Shop section. The bits of news that missed the EuroTrash deadline are in there, plus any news as-it-happens will be added there too.
The PEZ NEWSWIRE!
Don’t forget to check the “NEWSWIRE” section, you can find it on the homepage, just above the PEZ Shop section. The bits of news that missed the EuroTrash deadline are in there, plus any news as-it-happens will be added there too.
The post EUROTRASH: UAE vs. Visma — A Study in Contrasts appeared first on PezCycling News.
