A lull in the calendar? Mike considers it a chance to look forward to late-season racing, when teams and riders start throwing whatever they have left at autumn races. Sure, Vollering and Pogačar sit atop the UCI rankings now, but will they after the Vuelta, Worlds, and the rest of the calendar? (Probably yes.) Will late-season transfers impact individual performance? (Possibly; we saw it happen with Blasi at the TDFFAZ.) Will Pogačar’s decision not to ride the Canadian classics impact his performance at Worlds? (Probably not.)
Whatever you do, stay tuned to Pez to follow the rest of the ’26 road season!
TOP STORY
- Vollering, Pogačar Cleanly Atop UCI Rankings
RACE NEWS
- What’s Left: The Rest of the 2026 Season
- Quinn Simmons Headed to Leadville this Weekend
- Wildcards Confirmed for GP de Québec and GP de Montréal — Van der Poel Likely, Pogačar Out
- La Vuelta es Más en Bici: Monaco to Granada, Spain’s Regions Take Center Stage
TEAM, RIDER AND CYCLING NEWS
- High-Level Transfers: Landa, Buitrago & More
- And, While Primož Trains Assiduously for the Vuelta…
VIDEO
- Richard Takes Up Mike’s Case: Was the Women’s Tour the Best Tour de France in a Decade?
Vollering, Pogačar Cleanly Atop UCI Rankings
No surprises at the top of the early-August UCI rankings: On the women’s side, Demi Vollering’s Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift victory catapulted her into a commanding lead.
Perhaps a bit more surprising, however: The TDFFAZ team leadership controversy surrounding Paula Blasi and her UAE Team L’Imad squad obscured her powerhouse performance prior to August; she now sits in second position, just ahead of Kasia Neiwadoma-Phinney.
Also surprising: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, last year’s dominant rider, is nowhere to be seen in the top ten.
The top two positions on the men’s side mirror those of the Tour de France — as does the magnitude of the margin of leader Tadej Pogačar, who rides a massive gap of nearly 4,000 points ahead of Remco Evenepoel. Again, however, third place is surprising: Despite having crashed out of the Tour, Jonas Vingegaard sits in third position.
The rankings also serve as a reminder that UCI rankings reward consistent results more than flashy performances: While Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert turned in two of 2026’s eye-popping efforts (Tour de France Stage 21 and Paris-Roubaix, respectively), they currently sit in 9th and 14th positions, both below steady performers Tom Pidcock and Mattias Skjelmose.
RACE NEWS
What’s Left: The Rest of the 2026 Season
The Tour de France Femmes has just finished, but the calendar doesn’t slow down. From here to Guangxi in mid-October, there’s a Grand Tour, a Monument, a Worlds, and a run of classics that will shape how teams remember 2026. Here’s what’s still on the table.
- Czech Tour — Four stages out of Prague will draw a strong ProSeries-level field, with names like Riley Sheehan, Mikel Landa, Jordan Jegat, and Alessandro Fancellu expected to headline the GC fight. August 13-16
- ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg — The last big bunch-sprint showcase before the Vuelta, run over a flat, technical German circuit that usually comes down to a photo finish. August 16
- Renewi Tour — Five days across Belgium and the Netherlands mixing cobbles, crosswinds, and a time trial — a proving ground for the classics crowd looking to stay sharp into autumn. August 19-23
- Lloyds Tour of Britain Women — A four-day WorldTour stage race through the UK, offering GC riders and sprinters alike a mid-August tune-up. I spotted Kasia Neiwadoma on the start list. August 20-23
- La Vuelta a España — The year’s third Grand Tour, and the last real shot at three-week glory for anyone who missed out at the Giro or the Tour — though barring incident, Tadej should take this one, rounding out his Grand Tour triumverate. Primoz Roglič is a maybe as of this writing, while Nairo Quintana will bid farewell to the peloton. August 22-September 13
- Classic Lorient Agglomération — CERATIZIT — A punchy French one-dayer closing out the summer block for the women’s peloton. August 29
- Bretagne Classic — A hilly, unpredictable one-day race in Brittany that regularly produces a surprise winner from the classics ranks. August 30
- GP Québec & GP Montréal — Back-to-back North American one-day classics on hilly, technical city circuits, always a magnet for puncheurs and Ardennes specialists looking for late-season points — plus a North American warm-up race prior to Worlds in Canada. September 11 & 13
- UCI Road World Championships — Montréal hosts both the men’s and women’s road races and time trials, the single biggest prize left on the calendar and the last chance for national jerseys this year. On the men’s side, a tough course makes Pogačar the favorite once again, while among the women Worlds often yields a surprise winner. September 20-27
- Il Lombardia — The fifth and final Monument of the year, the “Race of the Falling Leaves” through the Lombardy hills, tailor-made for GC riders and puncheurs peaking late. October 10
- Tour of Guangxi — Men’s and women’s races close out the WorldTour season in China, part contract-negotiation showcase, part last chance to defend a ranking. October 13-18
Quinn Simmons Headed to Leadville this Weekend
While key U.S. gravel races once served as high-level training events for WorldTour pros: — Unbound most of all, but others as well, including the Leadville 100 — that trend has slowed in recent years. But now it looks like Quinn Simmons is hoping to steer top roadies back to off-road stateside racing.
Fresh off of earning the Best Teammate distinction, the Colorado native will look to win a race for himself in his home state: He’s lining up for this Saturday’s Life Time Leadville Trail 100. You can find the full start list here.
Wildcards Confirmed for GP de Québec and GP de Montréal — Van der Poel Likely, Pogačar Out
Organizers of the GP de Québec and GP de Montréal, set for September 11 and 13, 2026, have confirmed the wildcard selections for this year’s races. Tudor Pro Cycling and Pinarello-Q36.5 have taken up their automatic wildcard spots, while Cofidis has opted out. In its place, organizers selected American outfit Modern Adventure as a free pick. The Canadian national team will also compete, continuing a longstanding tradition for the event.
Alongside the three ProTeams and the host nation’s selection, all eighteen WorldTour teams are entered. Confirmed starters include defending Quebec champion Julian Alaphilippe, along with Tom Pidcock and Paul Seixas. Notably absent will be Tadej Pogačar, who has made the trip to Canada in multiple past editions and has won in Montreal twice, including handing the win to teammate Brandon McNulty last year.
This year’s Montreal race carries added significance, doubling as an unofficial preview of the World Championships road race, scheduled for the same city on September 27 over a largely similar circuit. Pogačar, the reigning world champion, will miss both Canadian races and the rehearsal opportunity they present, as he’ll be competing at the Vuelta a España during the same window.
That absence opens the door for other contenders, potentially including Mathieu van der Poel. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider is currently prioritizing the Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole on August 30, but has also expressed interest in targeting the Road Worlds in Montreal. Organizers have reportedly approached him about racing in Quebec and Montreal as well, though no decision has been confirmed. The Quebec course, in particular, is seen as well-suited to his strengths.
La Vuelta es Más en Bici: Monaco to Granada, Spain’s Regions Take Center Stage
Somehow, the Vuelta is just around the corner. And even more than the other Grand Tours, La Vuelta serves as a rolling advertisement for Spain itself, with this year’s edition doubling down on that with a fresh set of “La Vuelta es Más en Bici” tourism videos tracing the route from Grand Départ to Grand Finale.
The three-part series, part of the broader La Vuelta es Más programme, leans on the race’s reach into over 190 countries to put Spain’s landscapes, monuments, and cultural heritage in front of a global audience: Cycling as soft-power tourism marketing, essentially, and it works.
First stop: Monaco, hosting the Grande Partenza. One of the smallest, glitziest nations on earth, the Principality brings the Grimaldi Palace, the Prince’s Carabinieri, Monte Carlo’s casino glamour, and its motorsport pedigree to the race’s opening act.
From there it’s on to the Costa Blanca, headline act of Stage 9, running from the candy-colored seafront houses of Villajoyosa up to the Alto de Aitana beneath its namesake air base, with detours through Callosa d’en Sarrià, Spain’s loquat capital, and Relleu’s photogenic walkway.
The finale belongs to Granada, where the Alhambra, the Cathedral, flamenco tradition, and the poetic legacy of Federico García Lorca collide with a UNESCO Global Geopark and the region’s storied Parador hotel, a fitting close to a route built as much for the eyes as the legs.
Three stops, one thread: La Vuelta as Spain’s most scenic marketing campaign.
TEAM, RIDER AND CYCLING NEWS
High-Level Transfers: Landa, Buitrago & More
I’m watching the transfer market so you don’t have to! Here are a few I spotted:
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Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step to Euskaltel-Euskadi): In what will surely be the final move of his career, the 36-year-old mountain veteran is coming full circle to rejoin the Basque squad where he began his professional career in 2011.
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Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ to Cofidis): The former French national champion is leaving Groupama-FDJ after nine seasons to bolster Cofidis’ Classics and stage-hunting squad.
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Mauro Schmidt (Jayco AlUla to Pinarello-Q36.5): It’s no longer just a Pidcock project: Schmidt signed a major deal to join the ambitious Q36.5 project to spearhead their UCI points and stage-race ambitions.
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Iván García Cortina (Movistar to Alpecin-Premier Tech): Cortina makes the move to Alpecin as part of a major transfer-window splash by the team, alongside sprinter Casper van Uden (from Picnic PostNL) and Madis Mihkels (from EF Education-EasyPost).
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Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek to Soudal Quick-Step): Quick-Step added the former U23 World Time Trial champion to strengthen their young engine room.
And, While Primož Trains Assiduously for the Vuelta…
…here’s what Tadej has been up to between the Tour and his (likely) next Grand Tour victory.
Mike’s Ride of the Week is taking a break while Mike vacations in Ireland with his family — sadly without a bicycle.
PEZ VIDEO OF THE WEEK
- Richard Takes Up Mike’s Case: Was the Women’s Tour the Best Tour de France in a Decade?
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