Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Pogacar Seals Dominant Tour de Suisse Title with Stage 5 Mountain Win
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) capped a dominant Tour de Suisse by winning the final mountain stage to seal overall victory with three stage wins across the five-day race. The world champion attacked alone on the final climb to take stage 5, finishing 7 seconds ahead of Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious). Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) finished second overall, 6:32 behind Pogacar, with Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) third. Pogacar had earlier claimed stage 1 with a 72-kilometre solo raid and stage 4 with a 53.4 kph time trial effort. The Slovenian now targets the Tour de France, which begins July 4 in Barcelona.
Sources: Cyclingnews · Cycling Weekly
Reusser Wins Tour de Suisse Women Overall with Stage 5 Col de la Croix Victory
Marlen Reusser (Movistar), the world champion, secured a third home GC victory at the Tour de Suisse Women by winning stage 5 atop the Col de la Croix. Reusser fended off a dramatic chase from Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM) on the summit finish, with the pair taking second and third overall respectively. Reusser had moved into the race lead with a sensational stage 4 time trial victory, displacing Italian national champion Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), who had led the GC following her stage 2 win in Locarno. Niewiadoma-Phinney had begun the final stage 1:49 back in the general classification.
Sources: Cyclingnews · Cyclingnews
Van Aert Undergoes Surgery for Elbow Infection, Ruled Out of Tour de France
Wout van Aert will miss the Tour de France after a training crash elbow injury developed into a serious infection requiring surgery. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider faced the risk of sepsis after bacteria entered the wound, necessitating surgical cleaning and a hospital stay with intravenous antibiotics. Van Aert pulled out of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes on June 12 as the infection worsened. It will be his first Tour absence since joining Visma in 2019. Davide Piganzoli, 23, takes Van Aert's place on Visma's roster and will make his Tour de France debut when the race begins July 4 in Barcelona.
Sources: Cyclingnews · Cycling Weekly
Visma-Lease a Bike Confirm Eight-Rider Tour de France Squad for Vingegaard
Visma-Lease a Bike have officially confirmed their eight-rider squad for the Tour de France, with Jonas Vingegaard targeting a third yellow jersey when the race begins in Barcelona on July 4. Victor Campenaerts, Edoardo Affini, Per Strand Hagenes, Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Bruno Armirail, and Davide Piganzoli will support the Danish two-time winner. Vingegaard, who won the Giro d'Italia this spring, brings his strongest-ever Tour preparation into the race. Jorgenson and Kuss form the high mountain support, while Affini and Hagenes serve as controllers and Campenaerts and Armirail bridge both roles. Piganzoli replaces the injured Wout van Aert.
Sources: Cyclingnews · Cycling Weekly
UAE Team Emirates-XRG Name Eight-Rider Tour de France Roster Around Pogacar
UAE Team Emirates-XRG have announced their eight-rider squad to support Tadej Pogacar's bid for a fourth Tour de France title, with Adam Yates described as Pogacar's right-hand man for the July race. Alongside Pogacar, the roster includes Brandon McNulty, Isaac del Toro, Pavel Sivakov, Tim Wellens, Nils Politt, Jhonatan Narvaez, and Marc Soler. Del Toro, making his Tour de France debut, finished eighth at the Giro d'Italia. The squad marks just one change from last year's Tour-winning roster, with Narvaez replacing Juan Ayuso. Pogacar arrives as the pre-race favourite following his commanding performance at the Tour de Suisse.
Sources: Cyclingnews · Cycling Weekly
Evenepoel Completes Sierra Nevada Altitude Block as Tour de France Build-Up Continues
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is deep into a three-week altitude training camp at Sierra Nevada as final preparation for the Tour de France, having gone over two months without racing as part of a deliberate build-up plan. The time trial world champion chose to skip the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes to pursue a training-focused approach. Evenepoel completed an 83km ride featuring 2,104 metres of climbing, including an ascent to 2,300m at the Pradollano ski resort, and has also scouted key Tour route climbs including the Col de la Loze, described as tough, irregular, and very long. The Tour begins July 4 in Barcelona.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Vingegaard Backs Giro-Tour Double Strategy After Week of Post-Race Rest
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) says he will be in very, very good shape for the Tour de France after allowing himself a week of recovery following his Giro d'Italia victory before ramping up July preparations. The Dane has conducted reconnaissance of key Tour route climbs, including Hautacam and the Col de Peyresourde in the Pyrenees. Vingegaard rode the Giro d'Italia as part of a deliberate Tour preparation strategy, giving him his strongest Tour de France preparation yet according to Cyclingnews. He faces rivals Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel at the July 4 Barcelona grand depart, where the race opens with a team time trial.
Sources: Cyclingnews
UCI World Ranking — Men
Top 5 Riders (Pre-Tour de France)
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE-XRG) — 11,593 pts
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma) — 8,625 pts
3. Isaac del Toro (UAE-XRG) — 5,340 pts
4. Paul Seixas (TotalEnergies) — 2,609 pts
5. Remco Evenepoel (RB-Bora) — in camp
Tour de France 2026
Grand Départ: Barcelona, July 4
▷ Opens with team time trial
▷ Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges
▷ Two separate stages up Alpe d'Huez
▷ Finish: Montmartre, Paris
▷ Pogačar vs Vingegaard vs Evenepoel
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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