Six Vuelta Debutants to Watch

Traditionally, the Vuelta a España has been the Grand Tour of choice for blooding upcoming talent. Although Paul Seixas went against that trend by kicking off his Grand Tour career at the Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Oscar Onley and Richard Carapaz all got their first taste of a three-week race at Spain’s national tour, before advancing to the highest rank of the sport.

As the 81^st edition of the Vuelta gets under way, here are six young debutants who coiuyld well make a mark in this race…

Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Given what he’s achieved in 2026, it’s hard to believe this is Luke Tuckwell’s first season in the elite ranks. Hailing from Orange in the heart of New South Wales, Tuckwell has been mentored by Mark Cavendish’s former lead-out man Mark Renshaw, who comes from nearby Bathurst. Considering the GC riches available to red Bull, it looked like Tuckwell would fly under the radar during his neo-pro season, yet he’s emerged very rapidly, to the extent that he’s a decent bet for the white jersey of best young rider.

His take-off began at the Tour de Romandie, where he formed an impressive leadership tandem with Florian Lipowitz as Primož Roglič slipped into the background. Tuckwell eventually finished sixth in a race that was won by Pogačar. After a month off, he returned at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, where he slipped into the winning break on the sixth stage to Crest-Voland, third place on the day putting him into the lead. He defended that position bravely on the Grand Colombier stage that followed and impressed again on the final day to Plateau de Solaison, where he lost the overall lead to Isaac Del Toro, but secured second place on GC.

Although illness forced him out of the recent Vuelta a Burgos, he should start as Red Bull’s GC back-up to Roglič.

Matthew Brennan (Team Visma-Lease a Bike)

It says something about the Briton’s debut 2025 season that he seems to have been a little less impact this year. However, Brennan, who turned 21 at the start of this month, has still chalked up seven victories, including two at the recent Vuelta a Burgos.

While Visma do have a clear GC leader in 2023 Vuelta champion Sepp Kuss, their list of potential stage-winners is extremely potent, including Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte. Brennan, though, is sure to get his chances at punchy finishes, probably with those two riders acting as his lead-outs. While experience is the key, a stage win appears to be within his reach and would add a lot of gloss to his season.

Jørgen Nordhagen (Team Visma-Lease a Bike)

The 21-year-old Norwegian’s season, his second among the elite, has had a similar look to Luke Tuckwell’s. Second to Adam Yates at the five-day O Gran Camiño stage race in May, Nordhagen was fourth at Romandie behind Pogačar and was well up in the top 10 at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes until illness forced him out two stages from the finish.

Visma will be counting on him to support Sepp Kuss’s GC challenge as much as possible, but doing so may carry Nordhagen into contention for the white jersey of best young rider. As with Tuckwell and Jarno Widar (see below), the big question for Nordhagen is how he responds to the incessant workload over three weeks.

Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious)

While the focus is understandably on another Slovenian, 20-year-old Jakob Omrzel is at the head of the next wave of talent coming out that small European country that’s become a heavyweight hitter in the cycling world. A rival to Seixas, Tuckwell, Nordhagen and Widar in the under-23 ranks, Omrzel is another who has found his feet very quickly among the elite, taking top 10 finishes in his last three stage races.

His 2025 victory at the Giro Next Generation and his 2024 success at the junior edition of Paris-Roubaix highlight a rider who is comfortable on all terrains, but he’s particularly blessed on the climbs.

Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché)

Having pushed Paul Seixas harder than anyone in the under-23 ranks last season, when he claimed two summit victories on the last weekend of the Tour de l’Avenir, 20-year-old pocket climbing rocket Widar was one of the riders I was most looking forward to watching during 2026. However, his first year in the pro ranks has been set by injury and illness.

He was sidelined during the spring due to a knee issue. Fourth place on the final stage of the Tour de Suisse in mid-June hinted at better things to come, but he was set back again when he fell ill at the Vuelta a Burgos, where he’d started well. With no other obvious GC leader in a very inexperienced team, Widar should be well protected and could spring a surprise or two if he’s shaken off the gremlins that have dogged him so far this year.

Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché)

Let’s finish with a sprinter, and one recently offered a long contract extension by his team as a result of his promise and the imminent departure of Arnaud De Lie to Tudor Pro Cycling. De Schuyteneer may still be looking for his first big win, but by finishing on the heels of the big sprint names on several occasions throughout this season he’s shown that he’s not far away from that breakthrough.

While I’d be surprised if the 21-year-old can outpace the likes of Mads Pedersen, Kaden Groves and Wout van Aert, top five finishes will further boost his confidence and credentials.