For The Love Of Cycling

The Vuelta a España heads towards another sprint finish on Stage 16, with 181km taking the race from Cortegana to La Rábida. Most of the climbing comes in the opening half of the stage before the route flattens out, setting up another opportunity for the fast finishers.

A five-man breakaway gets clear early, with Kevin Vermaerke, Valentin Madouas, Simon Dalby, Jasha Sütterlin and Roland Thalmann spending much of the day out front. But Visma-Lease a Bike keep the escape firmly under control, gradually bringing the gap down as the finish approaches.

There is some late tension as the race heads towards Palos de la Frontera, with narrow roads, roundabouts and the threat of crosswinds creating plenty of nervousness in the peloton. A crash also causes a brief split, but the main sprinters make it back into position and the break is finally caught with 23km remaining.

From there, it is all about the sprint. Visma take complete control of the finale, with Wout van Aert delivering a superb lead-out before Matthew Brennan launches his sprint. Nobody can come around the young Belgian, who takes his fourth stage win of the Vuelta and makes it six victories for Visma-Lease a Bike in this race. Bryan Coquard finishes second, with Vito Braet third.

Ned Boulting and David Millar get into Brennan's incredible Vuelta, Visma's dominance, and a big breakdown of the Men's Lloyds Tour of Britain.

'Mûr de Ned' Hill Climb: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nsf-mur-de-ned-hill-climb-tickets-2000039132886

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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The Vuelta a España takes on one of its most extreme days yet as temperatures force organisers to dramatically shorten Stage 15.

Originally scheduled to cover 181km from Palma del Río to Córdoba, the stage was reduced to just 110.2km under the race's high-temperature protocol, removing a huge chunk of the route and much of the day's planned climbing. Even with the reduction, the riders were facing temperatures around 40°C, with Matthew Brennan reporting conditions of up to 44°C on the opening climb.

Despite the shortened route, the racing was anything but straightforward. The fight for the breakaway was fierce from the start, before the day's escape was gradually whittled down on the climbs. As the peloton fragmented, Wout van Aert launched his own move to join the front group, setting himself up for another chance at victory.

Van Aert then had to survive a series of late attacks from his breakaway rivals before beating Thibau Nys in the sprint in Córdoba, with Alessandro Romele taking second. It's Van Aert's second stage win of this Vuelta and his eighth victory of the season.Behind, the GC contenders finished safely together, meaning Enric Mas retains the red jersey with the overall top 10 unchanged.

We get into the extreme heat, the decision to shorten the stage, the brutal racing despite the reduced distance, Van Aert's perfectly judged finish and what was another important day for the GC battle.

We also hear from Ned Boulting on the ground at Stage 5 of the Men's Lloyds Tour of Britain.

Pete Kennaugh and David Millar break down Stage 15 of the Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Watch out Pogačar, there’s a new Slovenian rider on the block, and his name is Jakob Omrzel!

Stage 12 takes the race 16.6km from Vera to Calar Alto, taking place entirely in the province of Almeria, which is the first time the Vuelta has taken place here since 2022. Today, riders faced another mountain day, with a huge 4,568 metres of elevation gain on the route.

We get into the young talent of Jakob Omrzel, Wout van Aert’s strive for both jerseys, and of course, Enric Mas’s lead in the general classification.

Plus, we break down Stage 2 of the Tour of Britain thanks to Ned’s tour of hotel rooms across Lincolnshire and Yorkshire!

Pete Kennaugh and Ned Boulting break down Stage 12 of the Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Matthew Brennan is having a fantastic first Grand Tour.

Stage 11 takes the race 153.8km from Cartagena to Lorca on a mostly flat day, with just one climb standing between the peloton and another expected bunch sprint. The breakaway gets clear early, but Visma-Lease a Bike never let them build much of an advantage, keeping the escapees firmly within reach.

The only real test comes with 40km to go as the race hits the Alto de Aledo. The pace ramps up, riders are dropped, and there are a few attacks, but the main sprinters survive, setting up another showdown in Lorca.

And once Visma hit the front in the closing kilometres, the outcome looks almost inevitable. Wout van Aert leads out Matthew Brennan perfectly, and the young Brit delivers again, comfortably beating Bryan Coquard to take his third stage win of the Vuelta.

We get into Brennan's hat-trick, Visma's brilliant lead-out, the late climb and attacks, and why the team continues to look almost unstoppable in the sprints.

And we also hear from Ned Boulting on the ground Stage 1 of the Tour of Britain.

Pete Kennaugh and David Millar break down Stage 11 of the Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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The Vuelta enters a new chapter without Tadej Pogačar, and Stage 10 produces one of the closest finishes of the race so far.

The 184.7km route from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra was a hilly one, with several climbs packed into the second half of the stage. With Pogačar now out of the race, UAE take a different approach, while the likes of Visma and Cofidis try to control the breakaway and set up their fast finishers.

The break manages to stay clear deep into the finale, but the gap is steadily squeezed down as the road gets tougher. Attacks fly in the closing kilometres, with the escape finally reduced to just a handful of riders and the peloton closing fast behind them.

It comes down to a frantic finish, with Bastien Tronchon and Magnus Cort fighting to stay away. They are caught right on the line, but Tronchon has done enough to take the victory, with Cort second and Thibau Nys third.

We get into a dramatic day of racing, the battle between the breakaway and the peloton, the late attacks and an absolutely nail-biting finish in Elche de la Sierra.

We also take a look ahead to the Men's Tour of Britain which has some of the fastest sprinters in the world lining up tomorrow for Stage 1.

Pete Kennaugh, David Millar and Ned Boulting break down Stage 10 of Vuelta a España.

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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