THEMOVE+ Podcast Summary

Episode: Remco Sets the Standard, Vingegaard's Coach Walks & Austin Butler as Lance
Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Lance Armstrong (absent this week); Spencer Martin & Johan Bruyneel
Theme: Deep-dive into early-season pro cycling races, team developments, and the forthcoming Lance Armstrong biopic, plus incisive, insider commentary on the endurance sports world.

Episode Overview

This episode of THEMOVE+ opens with Spencer Martin and Johan Bruyneel reviewing the latest results from early-season cycling races (Tour of Oman, Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana), team performance, UCI points nuances, rider form, and injuries. The conversation then shifts to the challenges facing major teams like Visma | Lease a Bike and Soudal–Quick-Step, before wrapping with commentary on the announced Lance Armstrong film and their thoughts on previous portrayals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tour of Oman & Early-Season Surprises

• Astana’s Stellar Start

  • Christian Scaroni wins the Queen stage & GC, Christian Rodriguez second—1-2 punch for Astana.
  • Astana dominated early races and picked up significant UCI points at the Asian Championships with Evgeny Fedorov winning both road and time trial titles.
  • “Astana has picked up where they left it in the spring…they got 1,065 points in one day. That’s like equal to a top three in a Grand Tour.”
    — Johan Bruyneel [03:44]
  • Discussed potential flaws in UCI points allocation: Asian Championships yield more points than Tour de France stage wins.

• On Adam Yates’ Third Place

  • Both hosts agree UAE Team Emirates had an off weekend, but it’s not a signifier of alarm; Yates is still solid, but “at the end of his career.”
    — Johan Bruyneel [09:21]
  • Spencer jokes about a “slump” as UAE hadn’t won in almost a week.

2. Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana: Remco Evenepoel Sets the Standard

• Remco’s Dominance & Team Cohesion

  • Evenepoel destroys the competition on the Cumbre del Sol climb; his Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe squad looks more cohesive than ever.
  • “Remco just…on Cumbre del Sol…nobody was surprised. Red Bull started to put the tempo…the whole stage actually. It was a hard stage for February.”
    — Johan Bruyneel [13:34 & 14:17]
  • Discussion of “diesel” climbers like Almeida and developing talents like Pelizzari.
  • Spencer: “Has Remco added anything to the arsenal that's going to let him compete with Pogacar and Vingegaard in 2026?” [20:17]
    Johan: “I think this is Remco’s level that we expected. He himself said he's not in top shape...85% of his top shape.” [20:42]
  • Warm praise for Remco's team: “This is Remco on a far better team than he’s been on in the past.”
    — Spencer Martin [22:14]

• Notable Quotes & Race Analysis

  • On launch strategy: “He didn't even attack. He just rode everybody off his wheel.”
    — Spencer Martin [15:04]
  • “Pelizzari...did the last lead out to launch Remco’s acceleration. I would say we’re not going to call it an attack. And then didn’t flinch.”
    — Johan Bruyneel [15:54]

3. Bernal, INEOS, and Market Value of Past Grand Tour Winners

• Egan Bernal’s Future
  • Bernal wins Colombian National Championships.
  • Discussion on the realities for former Grand Tour winners after injury and their diminishing but still valuable role.
  • “Bernal is better than [Bakelants], man…He knows how to win races. You know, to win a race, first you have to be in front. Then you have to have that instinct.”
    — Johan Bruyneel [30:13, 31:19]

4. Visma | Lease a Bike Woes: Vingegaard’s Disrupted Spring

• Series of Setbacks

  • Wout van Aert’s cross injury, Simon Yates’ surprise retirement, Vingegaard’s crash and withdrawal from UAE Tour, followed by the abrupt resignation of Jonas Vingegaard’s personal coach, Tim Heemskerk.
  • The coach’s vague statement: “Over the past period, I've noticed I was struggling to continue applying my creativity and passion…” [40:34]
  • Team policies on internal coaches and speculation about internal conflict.
  • Despite these, Johan minimizes concerns: "They already know what they have to do...The only difference will be that the interpretation of the performances is different." [44:21]

• Implications for Vingegaard’s Giro Preparation

  • Only one stage race (Catalunya) planned before the Giro—unprecedentedly light prep for a Giro contender.
  • Johan asserts he's not concerned, citing Vingegaard’s previous success off racing blocks: "If you’re going to want to be your best possible at the Tour de France, this is the way to do it." [48:09]
  • Spencer is more skeptical: "It is just a lot going on this early in the season." [51:56]

5. Soudal–Quick-Step’s Injury Crisis

• 14 Riders Injured

  • Major names out, including Lawrence Rex and Tim Merlier (the latter with knee issues).
  • “14 injured riders, that’s…Wow. You have 16 left…”
    — Johan Bruyneel [55:06]
  • Implications for the Spring Classics and the danger of early-race calendars.

• Discussion on “Big Six” Riders’ Slow Starts

  • Only Remco racing early and why elite riders now delay their seasons (“to limit crashes”).
  • “If you call it the six, the six big names...it's only Remco who has started the season for the moment.”
    — Johan Bruyneel [57:14]

6. The Lance Armstrong Biopic: Announcements and Reflections

• Austin Butler Cast as Lance

  • Directed by Ed Berger, written by Zach Baylin (no other casting announced yet).
  • Johan reflects on earlier films/documentaries, shortcomings in narrative, and hopes this film will offer new perspective and nuance.
  • “From our side, we've never been able to tell our story... it's going to be, you know, the good, the bad and the ugly, don't get me wrong. And so should it be...but at least I think with some nuances which I think are necessary.”
    — Johan Bruyneel [51:51 & 61:54]
  • Spencer predicts nuance akin to “Wolf of Wall Street”: "You could walk away from that movie thinking many things...but you have a clear picture of his life.” [62:58]

• Previous Portrayals—Anecdotes

  • Johan tells a story of Denys Menochet (his actor in The Program) wanting to meet him but being forbidden by producers.
  • Both Menochet and Ben Foster (portrayed Lance) refused to watch the final film due to disagreement with its portrayal.
  • “If the movie is shit, and that movie was shit, it's not going to be a good movie...This one's going to be much better.”
    — Johan Bruyneel [67:38]

• Casting Speculation

  • Podcast hosts joke about possible actors, reference age-miscasting in social media rumors.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Asian Championship UCI Points Tally:
  “They got 1,065 points in one day. That’s like equal to a top three in a Grand Tour.”
  — Johan Bruyneel [03:44]
• On Remco’s Clinical Riding:
  “He didn’t even attack. He just rode everybody off his wheel.”
  — Spencer Martin [15:04]
• On Vingegaard’s Prep:
  “If you’re going to want to be your best possible at the Tour de France, this is the way to do it…”
  — Johan Bruyneel [48:09]
• On Soudal–Quick-Step’s Injuries:
  “14 injured riders, that’s…Wow.”
  — Johan Bruyneel [55:06]
• On the Lance Armstrong Movie:
  “From our side, we've never been able to tell our story...it's going to be, you know, the good, the bad, and the ugly, don't get me wrong.”
  — Johan Bruyneel [51:51]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Tour of Oman & UCI Points Flaws – [02:00 – 08:00]
• Remco at Valenciana & Team Dynamics – [10:50 – 22:30]
• Bernal as a Valuable All-Rounder – [25:07 – 32:00]
• Visma’s String of Problems & Vingegaard’s Prep – [39:07 – 49:40]
• Quick-Step Injury List, Calendar Impacts – [55:02 – 58:00]
• Austin Butler as Lance – Film Musings – [59:33 – 69:08]
• Closing & Upcoming Race Preview – [69:08 – End]

Overall Tone

Smart, irreverent, and deeply informed with a mix of banter, respect for the athletes, and a dose of skepticism about cycling admin and media narratives.

Useful For

• Keeping up with early 2026 pro cycling developments
• Insider context on major team drama and rider form
• Understanding why fans and pundits care about team points and early-season results
• Getting a “backstage” view on cycling’s portrayal in film and media

For the cyclist or sports fan who wants not just the headlines or highlights, but the inside angles and what they mean for the season ahead.