Vuelta a España: Five rising stars to watch

As the final Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a España is often fertile ground for young riders and upcoming talent. Slightly less prestigious than the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, teams often send younger squads to Spain, and coming at the end of the season, riders who have proved themselves in the year so far are often rewarded with a Vuelta start.

This year, the Vuelta line-up is unusually stacked with big names, with the likes of recent Grand Tour winners Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) all lining up in Barcelona this weekend - but that doesn’t mean there isn’t space for new talent to shine too.

From a Tour de l’Avenir champion to some young riders who have been punching above their weight on the WorldTour circuit already this season, here are five riders we think are worth watching over the next three weeks.

Read more: The jerseys of the Vuelta a España explained

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ)

Age: 20

Nationality: French

Strengths: Climbing and stage races

UCI wins: 11

Grand Tour participations: 0

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Romain Grégoire won the Tour du Limousin for Groupama-FDJ as part of his Vuelta preparation

Romain Grégoire may be the most well-known rider on this list because, despite his young age, he’s been racking up wins in his first year on a WorldTour team. Most recently, he won the overall and two stages at the Tour du Limousin, his second stage race win of the season, proving he’s coming into strong form in time for the Vuelta a España. A graduate of the Groupama-FDJ Continental team, this Vuelta will be Grégoire’s Grand Tour debut, and the Frenchman is capable of big things. In the right breakaway on the right stage, a victory is certainly within his reach, and he should be a contender for the white jersey, too.

Groupama-FDJ are bringing a young, stage-hunting team to the Vuelta, so Grégoire should be given some freedom. Another young talent, Lenny Martinez, will be his teammate and chasing similar goals, as will Michael Storer. The French squad doesn’t have a big GC contender, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them all-in behind one of their young riders to secure the white jersey.

Oier Lazkano (Movistar)

Age: 23

Nationality: Spanish

Strengths: Hills, punchy finishes

UCI wins: 6

Grand Tour participations: 2

Like Grégoire, Spanish national champion Oier Lazkano is another rider who has had a successful year so far, and looks to be building into his best form for the Vuelta. The 23-year-old Spaniard headed to the traditional pre-Vuelta preparation race, the Vuelta a Burgos, and won a stage after getting into the successful breakaway on stage 4. He also impressed in the hilly Ordiziako Klasika race last month, showing that he’s one of the most exciting riders when it comes to hilly, punchy races. An overall assault will be too much to ask of Lazkano as he heads to his second Vuelta a España, but he’ll prove an opportunist on the climbing stages and if he gets in the right breakaway. Supporting Enric Mas will be his main focus, but a stage win is certainly an achievable goal in Spain.

Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Age: 20

Nationality: Belgian

Strengths: Climbing, GC, time trials

UCI wins: 3

Grand Tour participations: 0

As the Tour de l’Avenir wraps up this weekend, the winner of the 2022 edition will be lining up for his first Grand Tour. Belgium’s Cian Uijtdebroeks is in his second year with Bora-Hansgrohe, but burst into the stage racing conversation last summer with a big win at the Tour de l’Avenir where he won the two biggest mountain stages. Unlike some of the other riders on this list, Uijtdebroeks hasn’t taken another win yet this season but has been very consistent in some big stage races, taking some top 10s as well as providing climbing support for his German team.

Belgium isn’t a nation known for producing general classification riders, but Uijtdebroeks is following in the footsteps of defending Vuelta champion Remco Evenepoel in a new generation of Belgian climbers and Grand Tour hopefuls. Uijtdebroeks hasn’t raced since the Belgian nationals in June, so it’s hard to pinpoint where his form is, but what’s certain is that he’ll be looking to impress in his first Grand Tour - whether that’s with a strong stage performance or a consistent ride across the race - and cement himself as a rider of the future.

Watch: Race of the Future on GCN+

Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich)

Age: 20

Nationality: British

Strengths: Climbing

UCI wins: 1

Grand Tour participations: 0

At the Grand Tour known for attracting a younger line-up, it’s no surprise that dsm-firmenich are taking some of their up-and-coming talent, including three young British riders: Max Poole, Sean Flynn and Oscar Onley. All three of these riders are ones to keep an eye on, but we’ve picked out Oscar Onley as our rising star to watch at this Vuelta. 20-year-old Onley moved up the WorldTour squad from dsm’s development team at the start of this season, and has been on an improving trajectory ever since, starting the season by winning the youth classification at the Volta ao Algarve. He’s since done a string of stage races, including the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de Pologne, where he’s been riding with a strength and consistency beyond his young years. He came 10th overall in Poland recently, and is looking good going into the Vuelta.

Being young, Onley has raced a relatively light programme, which should be a good thing as he will head into the Vuelta fresh rather than fatigued from a busy year of racing. The team will be targeting stage wins, primarily through Romain Bardet, so Onley might find himself in support roles for much of the race, but there should also be chances for the team’s young riders to go for their own opportunities in Spain.

Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost)

Age: 24

Nationality: Dutch

Strengths: Sprinting, Classics

UCI wins: 13

Grand Tour participations: 0

© Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images

Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) won a stage of the Tour de Pologne last month

Marijn van den Berg is the oldest rider on this list at 24, which perhaps isn’t seen as that young anymore in this current generation of cyclists, but he is definitely a rising star. Van den Berg has been racing as a professional since he graduated from the junior ranks, but has only in recent months ascended towards the top of the sport. A fast finisher, he’s taken three wins so far this season, including last month at the Tour de Pologne, earning himself his first Grand Tour start. Ordinarily, you wouldn’t necessarily expect an up-and-coming sprinter to win a stage on their debut, but this Vuelta is lacking in big sprinting names, which should open up opportunities for riders like Van den Berg.

Without a clear GC contender in Richard Carapaz’s absence, EF Education-EasyPost are targeting stage wins at this Vuelta, and Van den Berg could very well be the one to deliver. The likes of Julius van den Berg and Stefan Bissegger should be useful in the lead-out, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dutch rider take a win in Spain.

We’ll be showing live and ad-free coverage of the Vuelta a España on GCN+ from August 26 to September 17. Plus, head over to our race hub for our race preview, and all the details of the route, start list and results.