Brennan wins his second stage at the Vuelta in Roquetes, Pogacar keeps the red jersey
The Visma rider from Britain won the sprint on the fifth stage, from Falset to the Terres de l'Ebre. The overall leader retains the advantage built with his solo ride in Andorra; today the sixth stage runs to Castellón.
The fifth stage of the Vuelta a España, raced on August 26 from Falset, on the Costa Daurada, to Roquetes, in the Terres de l’Ebre, over a course of about 171-173 kilometers, ended in a sprint: the winner was Britain’s Matthew Brennan, of the Visma team, his second stage win in this edition. The finishing order is reported by Claro Sports based on the race’s official standings and by the Es Ciclismo portal.
At the top of the general classification, nothing has changed. Tadej Pogacar remains the leader after winning the fourth stage solo, the 104.8 kilometers with start and finish in Andorra la Vella: a short stage, entirely at altitude, of the kind that produces the gaps in this race. The standings can also be checked on the dedicated Olympics.com page.
A race already marked by absences and weather
Belgium’s Cian Uijtdebroeks, of Movistar, did not start the fifth stage: the available sources report the withdrawal without stating the reason. Earlier, the third stage, scheduled for August 24 between Gruissan and Font-Romeu, had been cancelled due to a violent hailstorm — a cancellation, not a shortening, which reduces the original program by one stage.
| Vuelta 2026 | Data |
|---|---|
| Duration | August 22 to September 13 |
| Total distance | 3,275 km |
| Start and finish | Monaco, Granada |
| Today’s stage (sixth) | Alcossebre-Castellón, 176 km |
The sixth stage, scheduled for August 27, links Alcossebre to Castellón over 176 kilometers.
In New York, entering the bracket week
On the tennis front, the US Open is in its preliminary phase. The tournament is being held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from August 24 to September 13: since the 24th, the mixed doubles tournament and the singles qualifying rounds have been underway, the main draw begins on August 30 and the finals are scheduled for September 12 and 13, according to the schedule published by Olympics.com and the Lawn Tennis Association.
In qualifying, 128 men and 128 women are competing for sixteen spots per gender in the main draw. On August 26, Grigor Dimitrov won a match, putting himself one win away from entering the field of one hundred and twenty-eight, as reported by the daily bracket from TennisTemple.
Among the expected players, Carlos Alcaraz is returning from an injury and is defending his title alongside Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning women’s champion. Casper Ruud cut a training session short due to the recurrence of a back problem: the sources do not indicate whether his participation is in doubt.
What is missing
On the Vuelta, the sources consulted do not provide the general classification time gaps after the fifth stage: the leader’s name is known, not the margin. On the New York tournament, the outcome of the main draw seeding is not yet known, expected before the start on August 30. The two events overlap until September 12, when the first finals are played in New York and the Vuelta still has one stage left to race.
← Archive · Front page · Past editorials · Report an error · Original article (in Italian)