For The Love Of Cycling

Matthew Brennan is having a fantastic first Grand Tour.

Stage 11 takes the race 153.8km from Cartagena to Lorca on a mostly flat day, with just one climb standing between the peloton and another expected bunch sprint. The breakaway gets clear early, but Visma-Lease a Bike never let them build much of an advantage, keeping the escapees firmly within reach.

The only real test comes with 40km to go as the race hits the Alto de Aledo. The pace ramps up, riders are dropped, and there are a few attacks, but the main sprinters survive, setting up another showdown in Lorca.

And once Visma hit the front in the closing kilometres, the outcome looks almost inevitable. Wout van Aert leads out Matthew Brennan perfectly, and the young Brit delivers again, comfortably beating Bryan Coquard to take his third stage win of the Vuelta.

We get into Brennan's hat-trick, Visma's brilliant lead-out, the late climb and attacks, and why the team continues to look almost unstoppable in the sprints.

And we also hear from Ned Boulting on the ground Stage 1 of the Tour of Britain.

Pete Kennaugh and David Millar break down Stage 11 of the Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

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The Vuelta enters a new chapter without Tadej Pogačar, and Stage 10 produces one of the closest finishes of the race so far.

The 184.7km route from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra was a hilly one, with several climbs packed into the second half of the stage. With Pogačar now out of the race, UAE take a different approach, while the likes of Visma and Cofidis try to control the breakaway and set up their fast finishers.

The break manages to stay clear deep into the finale, but the gap is steadily squeezed down as the road gets tougher. Attacks fly in the closing kilometres, with the escape finally reduced to just a handful of riders and the peloton closing fast behind them.

It comes down to a frantic finish, with Bastien Tronchon and Magnus Cort fighting to stay away. They are caught right on the line, but Tronchon has done enough to take the victory, with Cort second and Thibau Nys third.

We get into a dramatic day of racing, the battle between the breakaway and the peloton, the late attacks and an absolutely nail-biting finish in Elche de la Sierra.

We also take a look ahead to the Men's Tour of Britain which has some of the fastest sprinters in the world lining up tomorrow for Stage 1.

Pete Kennaugh, David Millar and Ned Boulting break down Stage 10 of Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Tadej Pogačar is out of the Vuelta a España following a crash.

Stage 9 takes the race 187.4km from La Vila Joiosa/Villajoyosa to Alte de Aitana, Costa Blanca across a mountain stage that has an elevation gain of 4,945m. With Movistar team rider Enric Mas holding the red jersey following yesterday's events, will he be able to maintain his position?

The peloton face six categorised categorised climbs, with more elevation than any other stage, and a summit finish at the Alto de Aitana in this stage of the Vuelta a España.

Ned Boulting and David Millar provide an update into Tadej Pogačar's injuries and also break down the latest stage of the Vuelta a España, which had a beautiful ebb and flow throughout the race.
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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Vuelta has turned completely on its head.

Stage 8 was supposed to be a relatively straightforward 171km run from Puçol to Xeraco, but with 32km still to race, everything changed when race leader Tadej Pogačar went down hard in the middle of the peloton.

Pogačar, who had held the red jersey since winning the opening time trial in Monaco, was left sitting on the road as the race doctors and UAE team staff attended to him. With deep cuts to his left shoulder and face, he eventually left the race in an ambulance with his arm in a sling, bringing his Vuelta to a sudden and dramatic end.

It's Pogačar's first abandonment from a Grand Tour and his first DNF since 2023, and it completely changes the shape of the race. Enric Mas takes over as the new race leader, although the Spaniard chooses not to wear the red jersey on the podium out of respect for Pogačar.

What does this mean for the Vuelta podium, and what does it mean for Pogačar’s goals of winning the big 3?

Ned Boulting breaks down Stage 8 of the Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Andreas Leknessund takes his first Grand Tour stage victory in Stage 7 of the Vuelta a España

Stage 7 takes the race 149.7km from Vall d’Alba to Ramón Valdelinares, over the mountains with an ascent of 12,300 ft. The route starts off reasonably gently, but after 52 kilometres, the riders approach the first of the five mountain classifications of the day.

With UNO-X securing a Norwegian one-two, Andreas Leknessund wins stage 7: his first Grand Tour stage victory! Team-mate Johannessen ensures that Norwegian one-two on a day doused in mourning for Norway due to the passing of King Harald, making that victory feel particularly memorable.

We get into Leknessund’s attack, stats between Brennan, Pogačar & Merckx, and Pete even manages to sneak in a Christmas mention in August!

Ned Boulting and Pete Kennaugh break down Stage 7 of the Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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