Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Monday, May 4, 2026
Pogačar Dominates Tour de Romandie for 10th Victory of 2026
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) delivered a commanding performance at the Tour de Romandie, winning his fourth stage on the final day and claiming the overall title with a 42-second margin over Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). The world champion, competing in his first stage race of 2026, sealed his 10th victory of the season on the concluding 178.2km stage from Lucens to Leysin. Pogačar defused attacks from Lipowitz on the summit climb before outkicking him in sight of the line. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) completed the podium at 2:44. Pogačar now heads into the build-up to the Tour de France in imperious early-season form.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Rüegg Wins La Vuelta Femenina Opener as Vos Crashes and Recovers
Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) claimed the opening stage of La Vuelta Femenina and the first red leader’s jersey of the 2026 race, launching her sprint with 175 metres to go on the uphill finish into Salvaterra de Miño. She edged out Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez). The 113.9km opening stage from Marín in Galicia was complicated by wet roads on technical descents. Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) crashed with 9km remaining but recovered to finish seventh. Rüegg leads the general classification by four seconds over Kopecky heading into stage 2 on Monday.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Escape Collective
Almeida and Landa Both Out of Giro d’Italia as Pre-Race Absentee List Grows
João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will miss the Giro d’Italia after announcing Monday morning that a viral illness throughout the spring left him insufficiently prepared for the May 8 start. The Portuguese climber, who withdrew from Paris-Nice in February citing flu-like symptoms and recorded a distant 38th at the Volta a Catalunya, confirmed the decision on social media. Almeida’s absence adds to Mikel Landa’s earlier-confirmed withdrawal: the Soudal-QuickStep veteran sustained a fractured pelvis after being struck by a race organisation vehicle during stage 2 of Itzulia Basque Country. UAE Team Emirates will rely on Adam Yates and Jay Vine.
Sources: Cycling Weekly, Cyclingnews
Nibali Warns Vingegaard: ‘The Giro Always Produces Surprises’
Two-time Giro d’Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali has warned clear favourite Jonas Vingegaard that the Corsa Rosa will test him in ways the Tour de France never has. Nibali, who retired in 2022 having ridden 11 editions, told La Gazzetta dello Sport that the Giro’s unpredictability stems from its weather, roads, and the tactical aggression of riders with nothing to lose. Vingegaard, making his Giro debut with Visma-Lease a Bike on May 8, faces the prospect of becoming just the eighth man to complete the Grand Tour treble. Nibali advised the Dane to stay composed in the early mountain stages rather than waste energy responding to early attacks.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Vingegaard Enters Giro as Clear Favourite; Pellizzari Tipped as Italy’s Best Hope
With the 109th Giro d’Italia beginning Friday in Nessebar, Bulgaria, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) enters as the clear favourite to complete cycling’s Grand Tour set. The two-time Tour de France champion is supported by Sepp Kuss and Victor Campenaerts, with his principal challenge expected from Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), 22, fresh from winning the Tour of the Alps overall. Pellizzari finished sixth at both the 2025 Giro and Vuelta a España and is identified as Italy’s most credible domestic challenger. Egan Bernal (Netcompany-Ineos) is also considered a dark-horse contender after a strong late-spring form showing.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cyclingnews Team Guide
Giro d’Italia Makes History with First Bulgarian Grande Partenza on Friday
The 109th Giro d’Italia begins Friday in Nessebar, Bulgaria — a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Black Sea coast — marking the race’s first Grande Partenza on Bulgarian soil. Stage 1 runs 147km south to Burgas along a flat coastal route expected to conclude in a mass sprint, with Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) among the sprint favourites targeting the first Maglia Rosa. Three stages are held in Bulgaria before a transfer to southern Italy. The race’s key GC battlegrounds are identified as a 40.2km time trial in Tuscany and a demanding final mountain week, with the peloton concluding in Rome on May 31.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly
UCI WorldTour — Men’s
Top Teams (post-Romandie)
1. UAE Team Emirates-XRG
2. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Visma-Lease a Bike
4. Lidl-Trek
5. Decathlon CMA CGM
Next Event
Giro d’Italia — Starts Fri. May 8
UCI WorldTour — Women’s
Top Teams (post-Classics)
1. UAE Team ADQ
2. FDJ United-Suez
3. SD Worx-Protime
4. Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto
5. Visma-Lease a Bike
Race in Progress
La Vuelta Femenina (May 3–9)
GC Leader: Rüegg +0:04 over Kopecky
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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