Where cycling's biggest stars are making their season debut

Published January 6, 2026 02:56AM

And just like that, the debut of the 2026 road racing season is right around the corner.

Unless you’re Mathieu van der Poel or Puck Pieterse ankle-deep in the muck, most riders have been trying to make the most of cycling’s ever-shortening off-season. At most, that might mean a few weeks off the bike.

Already last month, Spain’s Costa Blanca was buzzing with the top teams hitting the area with pre-season training camps.

After a short holiday break, teams are once again converging for another round of team camps at the start of a new season. Many top names have already confirmed their respective racing calendars, and the rest will be rolled out next week in the latest wave of pre-season team camps.

All that means that road racing is just a few weeks away, with the Tour Down Under kicking off the Women’s WorldTour on January 17, and the second-year race Clàssica Camp de Morvedre in Spain officially kicking off the European road calendar on January 23.

So where are the top pros making their 2026 season debuts? Some like early racing, others are holding off as long as possible.

A slate of team camps next week will see even more confirmations, but here’s what we know now:

Tadej Pogačar: Starting off with a bang

The world No. 1 is rolling into 2026 with a finely tuned calendar built for chasing history in the monuments and grand tours.

You know he means business when he was spotted this weekend by some savvy cyclo-tourists hitting it out on the Poggio along the Milan-San Remo route.

What’s different: No UAE Tour obligations in February means fewer early-season distractions. That will allow the peloton’s top dog even more time to build for what really matters. Ufff, you gotta feel sorry for his rivals.

Confirmed program: Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse, Tour de France

Remco Evenepoel: The quest for normality

After an injury-delayed debut last year, Remco Evenepoel is searching for a calm, linear approach into 2026.

As he confirmed at the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team camp in his high-profile transfer to the super team, all Remco wants for Christmas is a return to a “normal season.”

What’s different: Why so early in Spain? A team time trial, that’s why. The multi-day Mallorca Challenge, a series of one-day races across the cycling Mecca, will include a team test against the clock, ideal for Evenepoel’s first hit out in his new team colors.

Confirmed program: Trofeo Ses Salines, Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Volta a Catalunya, Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (former Dauphiné), Tour de France

Jonas Vingegaard: All roads lead to the Giro?

Nothing official yet, but everything will be officially unveiled at the Visma-Lease a Bike’s team camp next week in Spain.

What to expect: Jonas Vingegaard’s past debuts in the Volta ao Algarve and O Gran Camiño over the past three years all resulted in stage-race wins. With whispers of a possible Giro d’Italia start in 2026, the Dane could be even more selective in his approach to this year’s calendar.

Demi Vollering: All roads lead to France

Vollering has kept busy in the off-season, replete with hikes, bikes, and yoga. Now the world No. 1 is reloading for 2026, intent on recapturing the Tour de France Femmes crown.

Like many of the top women, her official calendar will be revealed in the coming days. SD Worx-Protime and Visma-Lease a Bike are also holding media days over the next week to confirm the calendars of top stars like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Marianne Vos, Lotte Kopecky, and Lorena Wiebes.

What’s new: Probably not a lot. Like Pogačar, Vollering now targets only the top races on the calendar. Strade Bianche, the hillier classics, and a heavy Spanish calendar typically lead her toward the Tour de France Femmes. One wrinkle could be taking on the Giro d’Italia Women, now in June, a race she’s yet to win.

Mads Pedersen: Full-gas from the gun

The big Danish classics star is prepping for his most ambitious season yet, with firm targets on winning a monument and claiming the green jersey at the Tour de France in July.

What’s different: Not much. The Lidl-Trek monster likes to come out swinging and will trace French roads later this spring before diving into the classics. These early-season hit-outs give him the edge he wants as he leans fully into a classics-and-green-jersey double ambition.

Confirmed program: Volta Valenciana, Tour de la Provence, Paris-Nice, Milan-San Remo, E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Tour de France

Wout van Aert: Fingers crossed for the classics

More bad luck for Wout van Aert, who underwent surgery over the weekend for a fractured ankle suffered at the snowbound Zilvermeercross cyclocross race last week.

With the cobbled northern classics still a few months away, everyone inside the Visma bus is hopeful the hard-luck Belgian can recover in time.

Paul Seixas: France’s newest sensation

France’s most hyped young talent in years will be the center of a media storm in every race he starts in his sophomore season.

Perhaps no young pro has garnered as much attention since Evenepoel also turned pro at 18. The prodigy will force the French media mob to travel to Portugal to track his every move.

Why it’s interesting: Skipping a French debut shields him (at least temporarily) from the pressure of racing on home roads. No official word yet on whether the Tour de l’Avenir champ will make a grand tour debut in 2026.

Confirmed program: Volta ao Algarve, Faun-Ardèche Classic, Strade Bianche, Itzulia Basque Country, Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Isaac del Toro: Passing the torch

No rising talent stamped his name on 2025 more than Isaac del Toro. The Mexican sensation lit up the calendar, winning 18 races, wearing (and losing) the pink jersey, and finishing the season ranked third in the world.

All eyes will be on Del Toro and his highly anticipated Tour de France debut alongside Pogačar.

Why it’s significant: Perhaps only the Tour de France is more important for team management than the UAE Tour, the home race of the team’s big-budget backers. That Del Toro is coming this year instead of Pogačar reveals just how much his stock is rising within the organization. Del Toro is emerging as heir apparent to Pogačar, but he’s in no hurry to press the case.

Confirmed program: UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, Itzulia Basque Country, the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Tour de France

Mathieu van der Poel: Finding space between CX and cobbles

Unlike most of his beach-bound brethren, he’s already been hitting the mud and muck of Belgium, rattling off nine straight wins in his quest to win a record eighth world cyclocross title. That comes on February 1 in Hulst.

What to expect: After the CX mud dries and the dust settles, Van der Poel usually takes a few weeks to decompress before jumping headfirst into the classics. His first race back on the road depends a bit on his fitness and recovery. Sometimes he’ll parachute straight into Milan-San Remo or blow out the cobwebs at races like Tirreno-Adriatico. After that, it’s full throttle into the northern classics.

Primož Roglič: Not waiting for the Vuelta

Primož Roglič vows not to be pushed aside inside the now-crowded house at Red Bull, and will race a quality spring calendar as team brass are intent on giving him his chances to win.

How it’s different: With the Vuelta a España as the top goal at the back-end of the season, the veteran Slovenian still has a few big races circled on the spring calendar. There are some rumors that Roglič wants to raise his hand to race the Tour de France anyway. Stay tuned.

Confirmed program: Tirreno-Adriatico, Itzulia Basque Country, Tour de Romandie, Vuelta a España

Early Starters: Tour Down Under

A few big names are making the long trip to Australia to enjoy the summer sun and excellent riding in the Adelaide Hills.

For years, riders like Robert Gesink and Geraint Thomas made the annual trek to the Tour Down Under every January to kick off their season with some high-voltage racing and chilled out vibes at the race.

Among the confirmed top names joining the Aussies and Kiwis are British sensation Matthew Brennan and UAE’s Jhonatan Narváez and Adam Yates. Luke Lamperti will show off his new EF Education-EasyPost kit as well.

Season Debut: Where the Biggest Stars Open Their 2026 Road Campaigns