Lesser known races 2026 edition

[Tim Cahill]

Yes my bad, deleted the post, , not much of a spoiler but just incase, was wondering why the race thread suddenly had 71 pages

 

[RedheadDane]

Meanwhile, we've actually had a case of a rider causing a crash by celebrating a teammate's win.

After stage 2 of Circuit des Ardennes, Stokbro celebrated Landbo's win, collided with another rider and crashed, fracturing his hip.
He also got relegated.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Meanwhile, we've actually had a case of a rider causing a crash by celebrating a teammate's win.

After stage 2 of Circuit des Ardennes, Stokbro celebrated Landbo's win, collided with another rider and crashed, fracturing his hip.
He also got relegated.

"Smart" move, riders will likely never learn. Mistakes will continue to happen....

 

[Rob5091]

Apart from some race going on in Northern France, there's
Clásica Pascua (1.2) 166.4 km from Padrón and back.
Roadbook at https://equipocortizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/REVISTA-Clasica-de-Pascua-2026_WEB.pdf
Startlist at https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/clasica-pascua/2026/startlist

(The man who climbs as well as Remco is back, baby! He had to go home early from Catalunya but Chumil is on the startlist, yeah!)

If we're lucky a Youtube stream at https://www.youtube.com/@clubciclistapadronescortizo/streams

 

[Leadbelly]

Stream for Pascua is here: https://www.agalega.gal/videos/342897-ciclismo-63ª-clásica-pascua

 

[Dazed and Confused]

With the pulse back to normal and the dust settled we can move on a bit: 5th O Gran Camiño (2.1) which starts tomorrow.
A short ITT to start the race:

Romeo should have a good chance here.

Stage 2:

Moving along to third stage:

A serious ramp to the line:

Second chance ramp on the last stage (5):

Startlist is being developed as we speak: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/gran-camino/2026/startlist

Streams will be available from around 3pm local.

 

[SafeBet]

With the pulse back to normal and the dust settled we can move on a bit: 5th O Gran Camiño (2.1) which starts tomorrow.
A short ITT to start the race:

Romeo should have a good chance here.

Stage 2:

Moving along to third stage:

A serious ramp to the line:

Second chance ramp on the last stage (5):

Startlist is being developed as we speak: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/gran-camino/2026/startlist

Streams will be available from around 3pm local.

Sergio Chumil about to spank UAE, Visma, Movistar and all the other pretenders!

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Adam Yates has looked very beatable since last year, but this field is really weak. He could win the race on the two final climbs.
There are stages in Portugal. Ther could be a surprising performance from Efapel or Anicolor. Although the Volta a Portugal isn't what it used to be. There aren't as many portuguese strange performances.

 

[Brullnux]

With the pulse back to normal and the dust settled we can move on a bit: 5th O Gran Camiño (2.1) which starts tomorrow.
A short ITT to start the race:

Romeo should have a good chance here.

Stage 2:

Moving along to third stage:

A serious ramp to the line:

Second chance ramp on the last stage (5):

Startlist is being developed as we speak: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/gran-camino/2026/startlist

Streams will be available from around 3pm local.

A cobbled TT? City cobbles or real?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

It could happen, he will definitly give it his best shot. 6th last year.
@Brullnux Not sure, someone with better insight might chip in.

 

[Rob5091]

Sergio Chumil about to spank UAE, Visma, Movistar and all the other pretenders!

Yep, he's on the start list and ready to roll! Vamos! (only 2.1 but what the heck...)

Roadbook at https://ograncamino.gal/road-book?lang=en

Stage 1 ITT seems to be the same parcours as 2024?

 

[Rob5091]

2024 parcours stage 1 ITT

2026 parcours stage 1 ITT

Somebody has been laying cobbles on the road!

 

[search]

A cobbled TT? City cobbles or real?

It's the same parcours as in 2024, when they did a neutralized itt due to strong winds. The cobbles are not super easy (especially those up to the finish), but unless they closed parts of the road, no one will need to use them much.

View: https://youtu.be/3tHUV7_95ko?t=1262

 

[ingsve]

Adam Yates has looked very beatable since last year, but this field is really weak. He could win the race on the two final climbs.
There are stages in Portugal. Ther could be a surprising performance from Efapel or Anicolor. Although the Volta a Portugal isn't what it used to be. There aren't as many portuguese strange performances.

I think it's time for Jörgen Nordhagen to start racking up some actual pro wins and not just *.2 and U-23.

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

I think it's time for Jörgen Nordhagen to start racking up some actual pro wins and not just *.2 and U-23.

If Yates, who has to be the last domestique of the Tour, is defeated by Nordhagen who was far from dominant last year and still he needs to improve a lot, Pogacar is going to have a serious problem in the Tour with Visma.

 

[ingsve]

Not sure the move in the calendar really help O Gran Camiño in getting more top teams. They were from 6 WT 6 PT in 2024 to 3 WT 8 PT in 2025 and now they have 4 WT and 4 PT. So from 12 to 11 to 8.

 

[search]

Tour of Hainan heads off tomorrow as well, with more or less the usual kind of route. Three sprints, one hill-top finish, and a flat arrival after the mountain. There's live coverage every morning around breakfast time, although apparently not on Disco+ (or not everywhere, at least - in Germany it's on "Sportdigital Edge" instead, which is unknown to me).

The start list isn't exactly stacked, but there's Masnada to dominate GC, and Baptiste Veistroffer is around to extend his lead in the most race days ranking.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Had no idea they moved Gran Camino to mid April. Probably explains why Vingegaard was originally scheduled to do UAE Tour.
Don't really think this new spot helps them to be more attractive, I think it's actually a big downgrade. End of February it was a great (and sort of only if they didn't want to bore themself in the UAE desert) opportunity for riders to test their level before Paris-Nice or Tirreno Adriatico .
Now, most riders are focussing on the Ardennes or just finished Itzulia/starting with Giro training camps. Well, I guess Yates to spank the competition here.

 

[Squire]

If Yates, who has to be the last domestique of the Tour, is defeated by Nordhagen who was far from dominant last year and still he needs to improve a lot, Pogacar is going to have a serious problem in the Tour with Visma.

It always impresses me how Pog manages to find his way into every discussion on this forum.

I think Nordhagen is a bigger favourite for this race than Yates, although the nature of the climbs should suit Yates more. Nordhagen has performed much better than Yates so far this season and Romandie is a big goal for him, so he should be really good here. The Norwegian should also be ahead after the TT.

A bit of a shame about the calendar change. April is a really bad slot for a 'new' stage race. It clashes with basically everything riders are doing at this point.

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

It always impresses me how Pog manages to find his way into every discussion on this forum.

I think Nordhagen is a bigger favourite for this race than Yates, although the nature of the climbs should suit Yates more. Nordhagen has performed much better than Yates so far this season and Romandie is a big goal for him, so he should be really good here. The Norwegian should also be ahead after the TT.

A bit of a shame about the calendar change. April is a really bad slot for a 'new' stage race. It clashes with basically everything riders are doing at this point.

I think that when talking about two domestiques for the two Tour favorites, it's unavoidable.
If Visma were to send Jorenson to this race and he were defeated by Pericas, it would be a worryig for Vingegaard. I would find it more worrying for UAE in this case if Yates were defeated by Nordhagen.

 

[Squire]

I think that when talking about two domestiques for the two Tour favorites, it's unavoidable.
If Visma were to send Jorenson to this race and he were defeated by Pericas, it would be a problem for Vingegaard.

Nordhagen isn't doing the Tour.

And I'd argue that whatever any UAE/Visma riders do in a small stage race in April has very little to do with what's going to happen in July.

 

[Bkinn]

Had no idea they moved Gran Camino to mid April. Probably explains why Vingegaard was originally scheduled to do UAE Tour.
Don't really think this new spot helps them to be more attractive, I think it's actually a big downgrade. End of February it was a great (and sort of only if they didn't want to bore themself in the UAE desert) opportunity for riders to test their level before Paris-Nice or Tirreno Adriatico .
Now, most riders are focussing on the Ardennes or just finished Itzulia/starting with Giro training camps. Well, I guess Yates to spank the competition here.

I also don't understand the change, teams are too busy in this part of the season and even if the weather is a little better is still raining. And the races gives very few points to teams farming.

Yates should win, but Romeo or Balderstone could dispute it if they get time over him in the TT, but maybe is too short for it.

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Nordhagen isn't doing the Tour.

And I'd argue that whatever any UAE/Visma riders do in a small stage race in April has very little to do with what's going to happen in July.

It would be even more worrying if a climber who isn't even selected for the Tour beats Yates, who is surely the last mountain domestique for the Tour on the other team.

Always, these stage races have been used to gauge and speculate about the form of the teams for the Tour de France. Contador against Sky in Paris-Nice and other examples.

 

[perico]

Adam Yates has looked very beatable since last year, but this field is really weak. He could win the race on the two final climbs.
There are stages in Portugal. Ther could be a surprising performance from Efapel or Anicolor. Although the Volta a Portugal isn't what it used to be. There aren't as many portuguese strange performances.

Ivan Romeo looks like his toughest competition on paper, unless some of the Portuguese teams show up in VOLTA form, then all bets are off.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Excited to watch Adam Yates desperately struggle to hold the wheels of 195cm atrem nych and 1000-year-old alexis guerrin on the climbs.