The season opener of the 2026 stage race championship promises to be a real cracker. ASO have designed a really punchy route for this edition, which opens things up nicely for many race scenarios. One or two riders are starting their seasons here and we’ve learned a fair amount from other riders already this season about how they might go. I’m looking forward to this one, so let’s get into it!
The Route
The first thing to note, is that this is not a route made friendly for the sprinters, which is probably why they’re all going to Tirreno instead. There is only one real sprint stage with the possibility of one maybe two other stages that might have some reduced sprint action. Three stages end uphill with three others containing significant lumps in the finales to make things interesting. Hopefully we’ll see a quality break win or two, lots of GC action, and many surprises. Stage three is the team time trial and that’ll do the job of setting up the GC nicely. Many squads will be very strong in the time trial, so gaps might not be huge. That’ll bring bonus seconds into play and encourage bold attacks. Well that’s the hope anyway.
The Riders
Overall Contenders
On paper, this seems to be a duel between Juan Ayuso, 24 credits, and Jonas Vingegaard, 22 credits. Some might say that 22 credits for Jonas is too cheap, but based on his past experiences here and the fact it’s his first race of the season, I’d say it’s fair. Especially with Ayuso’s form already this season. He is made for the efforts this race will need and watching the duel between the two main favourites will be super fun. It’s definitely possible to pick both here, if you’re that way inclined. I’m on the fence, if only because the top two favourites rarely finish 1-2 at this race and there are many good options in the middle tier of the pricing that I’m tempted with.
Speaking of which, we start with the Ineos trident of Oscar Onley, 18 credits, Kévin Vauquelin, 14 credits, and Carlos Rodriguez, 10 credits. They should be well positioned after the TTT, and they usually fair well in adverse weather. The stages suit Onley and Vauquelin especially, so I’d say both are good options. Brandon McNulty, 18 credits, is leading Team UAE here and he’s done well here in the past. Lenny Martinez, 16 credits, has started his season well, and he’ll absolutely fancy a top result. He may have some catching up to do however, as Bahrain aren’t as good as their rivals in the TTT. Red Bull are bringing a dual attack in Daniel Felipe Martínez, and Aleksandr Vlasov, both 14 credits. They both riders had a less than ideal 2025 and will be looking to restore some pride, having started 2026 not too badly really, so you never know.
Middle Priced Riders
As I’ve said already, I’d ignore the sprinters if I were you, but if you were tempted, Milan Fretin, and Biniam Girmay are both here at 12 credits and there others to consider. If I’m taking a 12 credit rider though, I’m looking at Iván Romeo, Harold Tejada, and Davide Piganzoli. Tejada especially has gone well in the past and will be leading the charge for Astana. I have high hopes for Romeo too, and I might end up taking both if the budget allows. Every rider at 10 credits represents some sort of risk to me, but there are some that stand out. David Gaudu finished 2nd here in 2023, but he hasn’t shown that level of form for a long while. The ability is still there if the start of last year’s Vuelta is anything to go by, but he’s always a risky pick. I also want to trust someone like Valentin Paret-Peintre, but this just might not be his kind of racing. The long and the short of it is, I like so many of the 12 credit and above riders and the 8 credit riders that I might dodge any 10 credit rider completely. What are all your thoughts on the 10 crediters?
The Budget Picks
There are a fair few fast men hiding in the 8 credit bracket if you’re still curious. These include Lamperti, Aular, Trentin, Delettre, Pithie and many others with more of a pure sprint. As I said though, I’m not convinced of their scoring potential and instead, I’m looking at the likes of Arrieta and Rondel who are both fairly punchy as well as being young and full of potential. At 6 credits are plenty of teammates, stage hopefuls, outside bets, and you can always find some value if you look hard enough. I’m thinking Costiou, Rouland, Cepeda, Tim Van Dijk, and Vercher as the most attractive choices, but there are Visma and Trek teammates down here for assists and maybe a cheeky stage top 10 or two. Perhaps Armirail and Kämna, but they’ll both be a gamble. I can’t really see anyone down at 4 credits, so only take one of them if you absolutely have to. Let me know if you’ve got anyone at 4 credits that you’re looking at and I’ll take a look. Only one 4c rider topped 50 points last year.
So there you go! I managed to articulate my thoughts in time for the rugby starting in 50 minutes and whilst watching a cracking women’s Strade Bianche. Who says men can’t multitask! Reach out on Twitter and BlueSky if you want to chat team selections. And here’s a reminder of the league code: 649949130
Cheerio!
The Pelotonian 