Will the 2026 Vuelta Route Attract Tadej Pogačar? | THEMOVE+

Summary

THEMOVE: Will the 2026 Vuelta Route Attract Tadej Pogačar? | THEMOVE+

Host: Lance Armstrong (out this week)
Co-hosts: Spencer Martin and Johan Bruyneel
Date: December 19, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on a detailed analysis of the newly announced 2026 Vuelta a España route. Spencer Martin and Johan Bruyneel dig into the course design, discuss its implications for star riders like Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič, and break down major news in the transfer market—most notably the Derek Gee and Oscar Onley sagas.

Listeners get a candid, insider take on what makes (or breaks) a successful Grand Tour, with critical reflections on race planning, riders' ambitions, and the future of major cycling teams.

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1. The 2026 Vuelta a España Route: Too Hot to Handle?

[03:41] Route Breakdown & Initial Impressions

• Route Highlights:
  • 21 stages, starting with a 10km time trial in Monaco
  • 8 mountain stages, 6 flat-ish stages (finale in Granada with uphill), 5 hilly stages, 2 time trials (10km & 32.5km)
  • After stage 7, the race stays south of Valencia for the duration
• Heat Concerns:
  • The race will run through the south of Spain in August and September, traditionally brutal months for heat.

Johan Bruyneel:

"Anybody who has been to Granada in the summer and you can, I mean, beginning of September is still summer. It's going to be extremely hot." [04:32]

• Course Difficulty:
  • Over 58,000 meters of climbing—harder than the Tour de France by 6-8k meters.

Bruyneel:

"Making it so hard, man, I doubt that's good for the suspense of the race... especially the heat. I'm worried about the heat for the riders." [06:54]

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2. Critique: Course Design and the Vuelta’s Identity Crisis

[08:26] North-South Alternation & Missed Opportunities

• Why the lack of classic northern Spanish mountains?
  • Spencer and Johan lament the absence of traditional Basque and Asturian climbs, attributing choices mostly to financial deals with host cities and logistical planning.

Bruyneel:

"The north of Spain, traditionally, that's where the nicest and the most beautiful mountains are... obviously going to be 5 degrees cooler than in the south." [08:32]

• Stale Racing:
  • Last year’s race was panned for monotony and lack of dynamism—repetitive hilly-to-single-climb finishes, and little memorable racing outside the Basque region.

Spencer Martin:

"The protest hid the fact that the course was awful, truly terrible." [09:12]

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3. Who Will Ride? Will Pogacar Show Up?

[09:59] Rider Participation and Calendar Implications

• Roglič is Confirmed:
  • Expected to be at the start and targeting a fifth Vuelta win.
• Pogacar Unlikely, But Plausible:
  • Could benefit from course difficulty, but participation depends on Tour de France and World Championships goals.
  • Pogacar’s relatively light build-up calendar before the Tour leaves the Vuelta open as a possibility.

Bruyneel:

"It's not too hard for Pogacar. Even if Pogacar's at 90-95%, he can still win the Vuelta." [11:30]
"He hasn't won the Vuelta yet. So, yeah, it's not always going to be..." [11:52]

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4. The Vuelta's Place As a Grand Tour: A Race of Last Resort?

[13:43] Team Motivation & Calendar

• Traditionally the most unpredictable Grand Tour:
  • Teams often decide their Vuelta rosters late, depending on earlier season successes or failures.
  • Many riders use it as a fallback if earlier goals weren’t met or due to injury recovery.

Bruyneel:

"That's why the Vuelta, in my opinion, is the most difficult race as a team, to get a motivated team at the start because it's late in the season and, you know, usually everybody has attained their goals already before the Vuelta." [17:22]

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5. Derek Gee’s Transfer Drama: The Inside Story

[21:01] Derek Gee Moves to Lidl-Trek

• Background:
  • Gee was rumored to be embroiled in a possible lawsuit with Sylvan Adams (Israel Premier Tech) after unilaterally ending his contract.
  • Gee spotted training with Lidl-Trek all but confirms the move.
  • Parties likely reached a settlement—Lidl-Trek is rumored to have paid a substantial (possibly 7-figure) buyout.

Notable Quotes:
Bruyneel:

"If Derek G. Is training with [Lidl-Trek], he's not... because he's not going there. There's no other way." [21:16]
"It's extremely difficult... to build your team around for a Grand Tour, around a rider who can be podium but most likely won't be podium." [24:12]

• Team Building Dilemma:
  • Derek Gee is a valuable addition but not a surefire Grand Tour podium contender.
  • Lidl-Trek wants GC depth; their investment signals increased ambition and budget.

Bruyneel:

"It's not a great situation because a rider that goes for the podium also needs support of a team. And you have to divide your team in two... It's a gamble. I don't think Derek G. will win a Grand Tour next season." [25:00]

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6. Oscar Onley and the UCI Contract Calendar

[28:18] Oscar Onley’s Future

• Onley not at current or potential new team camps—suggesting a pending move to INEOS.
• Spencer: "He was not at the training camp for Oscar only. He'll probably be..."
• UCI Transfer Rule Changes:
  • Riders will soon be able to wear new team jerseys starting November 1 (instead of January).
  • A positive change prompted by current awkwardness (e.g., Remco Evenepoel at Red Bull’s camp in Soudal Quick-Step kit).

Bruyneel:

"Since I was the team manager, it's always been the case... feels very unnatural to have, you know, riders on your team... and they still have to wear their outfit from the year before." [29:31]

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7. New Kits and Team Branding

[30:31] INEOS’s Orange & White Kit

• Discussion on INEOS’s new kit: orange top for Total Energies sponsorship, with a white and gray lower half.
• Hosts express skepticism about the style, but agree it will stand out in the peloton.

Bruyneel:

"There must be a thinking behind it, but I don't know what the thinking is. It looks a bit strange." [31:18]

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8. Closing Thoughts

• Spencer wraps up the discussion, noting a scheduling change due to Boxing Day, and promises the next episode will drop the Monday after.

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Key Takeaways

• The 2026 Vuelta a España will be one of the hardest and hottest Grand Tours ever, stirring controversy and concern over heat and course design.
• Pogacar’s participation remains an open but tantalizing question—his presence could define the race.
• Derek Gee’s blockbuster (and expensive) move to Lidl-Trek underscores the escalation of transfer fees and team ambitions.
• The Vuelta remains cycling’s wildcard Grand Tour, shaped by late-season storylines, unpredictability, and shifting team goals.
• UCI changes to contract/kit timing are welcomed by both hosts and seen as overdue.

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Memorable Quotes

• Johan Bruyneel:

  • "I feel for the riders and it's... I think it's just... It's a stupid course. It's too hot to have two weeks in the south. It's too hot." [12:47]

• Spencer Martin:

  • "The protest hid the fact that the course was awful, truly terrible." [09:12]

• Johan Bruyneel:

  • "It's extremely difficult and complicated for a team to build your team around for a Grand Tour around a rider who can be podium but most likely won't be podium." [24:12]

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Notable Timestamps

• 03:41 - Vuelta route overview and breakdown.
• 04:32 - Deep dive into heat and route location.
• 06:33 - Discussing course design and climbing numbers.
• 09:12 - Criticism of last year’s Vuelta and lack of dynamism.
• 09:59 - Speculating on Pogacar, Roglič, and key starters.
• 17:22 - Challenges of fielding a motivated Vuelta team.
• 21:01 - Derek Gee’s transfer saga details.
• 28:18 - Oscar Onley’s possible move and new UCI transfer rules.
• 30:31 - Thoughts on new INEOS kit and branding.

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This summary encapsulates all major discussion threads, key insights, and colorful moments that define THEMOVE’s signature insider approach.

Transcript

[A]

You know, and again, I say this with the utmost respect for Derek G. But, you know, it's. Derek G. Is not a rider that you can really build a team on with guarantees of a podium. And, you know, there's nothing, Spencer, there's nothing worse for a team or nothing worse. It's extremely difficult and complicated for a team to build your team around for a Grand Tour around a rider who can be podium but most likely won't be podium.

[B]

Everybody, welcome back to the move. I'm Spencer Martin. I'm here with Johan Berniel. We are back to remote shows. I'm back in Boulder, Colorado, with no power. I found a conference room in a. We work in Denver that has WI fi and power so we could get the show to you. Johan is back home in Madrid, Spain, but we're going to go through the VA route, which was just released for 2026. Kind of a. We're a little flummoxed at some of the decisions they made. Go through the ongoing Derek G. Mystery drama. Same thing with Oscar Onley and a few other things. But before we get into that and get Johan's take on it, let's take a quick break for our partners. And we'll be right back, everybody.

[C]

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[B]

Okay, Johan the van. Route 2026 came out. 21 stages as you would expect, starts in Monaco with a short time trial features as I count it, eight mountain stages, six flatish stages including the final stage in Granada which does have a tough uphill finish, five hilly stages and two time trials including that. It's technically not a prologue, I guess, but it is a 10k time trial to start and then they have a 32 and a half kilometer time trial on stage 18. The big takeaway though, the thing you pointed out to me is this race. Unlike last year, which was almost all north of Madrid, this is nearly all south of Madrid. And as someone that lives in Spain knows, it is very hot south of Madrid in the summertime. This will take place in August and early September. What were your initial impressions from this route?

[A]

The same thing as you just said, Spencer, when I saw the map. Actually if you take the map of the Vuelta of 2025 and you put that on top of the map of the VTA of 2026, then you have a tour of Spain. Yeah, but this is, I mean, start in Monaco, okay It's, it's becoming a habit that, and especially the Giro and the Vuelta or looking to have starts outside of Spain, of course, you know, it's, it's a financial decision. You know, who pays, gets the stages. And I mean the Monaco is fine. And they go, they, they come to Spain, they go a little bit to Andorra for one stage, I think. But when I saw that after stage seven they are in Valencia or south of Valencia, I thought, wow, you know, that's, I mean, I don't know who designs these courses. Of course, you know, there are, it's ex cycle, ex professional cyclists. I think it's Fernando Escartin now who's the, the chief of the course. But you know, he's not deciding on the cities, right? Who hosts, which host the, the stages, the starts and the finishes. And I, I feel sorry for the riders, man. South of Spain, last week of August, the two first weeks of September, it is really, really hot. Anybody who has been to Granada in the summer and you can, I mean, beginning of September is still summer. It's, it's going to be extremely hot. And then also, you know, what I don't really understand is that, you know, if you look at the, I haven't gone in detail through the stages, but I've seen information. There's 58,000 vertical meters in the Vuelta of 2026, which is the hardest three week stage race of all three. And I'm thinking, why are they doing this?

[B]

Because.

[A]

Every race becomes harder and harder and harder. And of course a Grand Tour has to have decent amount of climbing. But 58,000 meters, I think that's like 6,000 meters more than the Tour de France. If I'm not mistaken, it might be.

[B]

It might be 8,000 meters more than the Tour de France. I think the tour was 50 on the dot, which is a little suspicious. How could that be 50 even?

[A]

But you know, I mean, knowing how I mean, the Vuelta is the third Grand Tour of the season. And anybody who is in cycling or who runs a team knows how difficult it is to have eight super motivated and fresh and in shape riders to file a team for the va. You know, usually people are tired by that time of the year and you know, have done a lot of races already and yeah, okay, it's true that, you know, teams nowadays, they have 30 riders and they don't raise that much, but still the last Grand Tour is motivation wise. It's a challenge. And making it so hard, man, I doubt that's good for the suspense of the race. I don't know if that's really a smart decision, but especially the heat. I'm worried about the heat for the riders. They made the decision to not finish in Madrid because it clashes with the Formula one. Next year, there's a new Formula one race in Madrid. So, no, no finish in Madrid. But, you know, there's also other ways. And, you know, okay, finishing Granada is one thing, but, you know, everything below Valencia, it's. I don't. I don't. I mean, personally, I don't like it. I absolutely don't like it.

[B]

Why do they do this clustering, like, all north and then all south in a year? Is it to reduce transfers?

[A]

I mean, obviously, you know, whoever pays gets the stages. I think there's. There's other ways to do it. You know, the north of Spain, traditionally, that's where the. The. The nicest and the most beautiful mountains are. And, you know, and also it's. It's obviously going to be 5 degrees cooler than in the south.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's a bit strange to not see, you know, Asturias and. And Galicia and Cantabria and the Basque country featured in. In the course.

[B]

It's really weird, especially since, man, I feel like they didn't learn their lesson. This, this year's course will be remembered for the protest, but without the protest. The protest hid the fact that the course was awful, truly terrible.

[C]

The.

[B]

The monotonous nature of these. You know, it's a hilly, and then it's a single climb finish. They just did that over and over and over again, and there was no dynamism to that race. I mean, can you think of a single. Is there a single racing moment that you can think of in your mind when you think of last year's race, maybe the Bass country, but that race technically didn't finish, so we have no winner, but it just seemed like it was a really stale course. And then this is another pretty monotonous course that they've served up. Yeah, that might be too hot and too hard to race.

[A]

It all depends also who participates, of course. Right. What we do now know is that for sure, Primo's roglic is going to be at the start. I don't think Primo really cares about the course. You know, he's a. He's a fighter. You know, he goes to win his. His fifth Vuelta, and then the question is, I think, will Pogachar be at the start? Right. Yeah, that. That kind of breaks or makes the race. I mean, if he starts, he's obviously most likely going to win it unless something happens. But in that point of view, it would probably be easier for Pogaccio. If it's a hard race, he has statistically more chances to win. So I'm not excluding Pogaccia at the start of the Vuelta, you know, especially if you look at his program. You know, he has only 16 race days before the start of the Tour de France. He could then do the Vuelta and then the Worlds.

[B]

Yes. Yeah. Well, just on that calendar, when they. When he set his calendar at the media day right there, you're thinking, well, there's not a lot of stage racing really, outside the Tour de Suisse. Before the Tour de France, it seemed like they're leaving this open for the Vuelta. And even his tone when he was talking about the Vuelta made it seem like he was going to go. But if you're coming off a Tour de France and then you're trying to win the world championships later in September, is this a good course for you?

[C]

It seems pretty hard.

[A]

Yeah. But still, I think. Well, I mean, it's not. It's not. It's not too hard for Pogachar. Even if Bogachar at 985, 90%, he can still win the Vuelta.

[B]

But is it going to damage him to the point that it hurts his chances at Worlds?

[A]

Well, does he care about that? I mean, he's already two times world champion. He hasn't won the fight yet.

[B]

I want to see him win it three times.

[A]

He hasn't won. He hasn't won the Vuelta yet. You know, so, yeah, it's not always going to be. I mean, on the course in Canada, it's. It's hard, but it's not. I mean, it's not. It's doable for a lot of guys. It's not like Kigali, where it's really super, super hard. The course in Canada is accessible for other riders, too.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, and for. For Slovenia, it's not an easy race tactically, you know, to control the world championships.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. But we. We say that about Picacho a lot. Never seems to stop him. And remember, we said that about Sagan all the time. It's like, well, how's Slovakia going to control this?

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Three in a row. Yeah.

[C]

But the id.

[B]

Yeah, it is. I was shocked, Johan, with how hard.

[A]

It is and how anyway, to come back on the Vuelta course. Spencer. I mean, bottom line is I really don't like it. I feel for the riders and it's. I think it's just It's a stupid course. It's, it's, it's, you know, I mean, it's, it's, it's too hot. It's too hot to have two weeks in the south. It's too hot.

[B]

Especially if you just, if you keep racing the, if you start the stage at, I don't know, 1pm that's also another thing. Part of the day. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Between one and five or the stages.

[B]

And we've done this before. This isn't theoretical. We were here two years ago and everyone said, wow, this is too hot. We're gonna have to do something about this. And now they're showing up and it's going to be too hot again. Probably most likely. One thing I was thinking about. So if Pagatra does the Tour and does the vault, what does del Toro's season look like? Is he not contesting a Grand Tour next year?

[A]

I don't think so, no. I think he's going to do the two. He's only going to do the Tour, in my opinion, he's not going to do two Grand Tours as he did. I think del Toro is probably going to be given freedom in a few other one week stage races, which would make sense because he can win most of them.

[B]

Could win the Dauphine, in theory.

[A]

He can win the Dauphine, he can win Tereno, he could win the Basque country, he can win Catalunya.

[B]

Yeah. He could podium at the Tour de France. Yeah. And then it'd be focus on world championships, I guess, after that.

[A]

Yeah. I think del Toro, you know, he's, I mean, he's a lot younger than, than all these other guys and he has time, you know, So I personally think it's a smart decision to have del Toro doing the Tour and at the service of, and the team because, you know, any other race he does now after being second in the Giro, it's all the pressure on him. He kind of. His next step is when he, when he's the lead, he has to win either the Giro or the Vuelta. He has to win.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so taking that pressure off by, you know, having him ride the Tour de France with Bogachar, I think it's a smart move in his development.

[B]

That is a good idea. That's a good point. Have you managed a team before or something that is like, I wouldn't have thought about it that way, but that is pretty clever. And I mean, he does have time, but do those guys think that way? Is he sitting around thinking, I've got a lot of time or are they going to have to tell him like, hey, chill out, you don't have to win a Grand Tour this year.

[A]

Yeah, probably. I mean, you know, I think he has a long term contract, right? I don't know how many years. 20, 28 probably.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So yeah, I think he's fine. Yeah.

[B]

And yeah, as you say, a lot of, lot of chances for one week stage races which are important to win are a big deal.

[A]

Plus let's not forget he's a great one day racer too. Spencer.

[B]

He won a lot of one day races. He's a better one day racer at this age than Picacho was the same age. That's not, that's not easy to do. If Pagatra is here, who is he competing against?

[A]

In the Vulta, you mean?

[B]

Yeah, in the va.

[A]

But Primos is going, we know. Doesn't look like Jonas is going to be going. You know, there's still, I think there's still talks, right, about combining Giro and Tour.

[B]

I think he'll probably do the Giro. Yeah.

[A]

Well, we don't know. We don't know yet. But you can never say about the, about the Vuelta, Spencer. And compete. Okay, the first question is who is he going to compete against? Pier, My, my answer is nobody because he's above everybody else. But Bernal, Bernal has said that he is there. If there's one race he cares about doing, it's the va. I think at this point, you know, we, we can't say, you know, honestly that Bernal is a contender for Pogachar, but you know, it, he's a candidate for the podium in the Vuelta. And then I don't know any bakarapas maybe. I don't know. I don't know what they're gonna do. I mean.

[B]

Yeah, I guess. Are you so potentially Ayusu does the.

[A]

Tour focuses everything on the Tour. So he's gonna be the leader of, of little track 4 GC at the Tour de France. So I don't, I don't see him do the Vuelta.

[B]

Well, I guess, okay, now that we're talking about it, the absurdity of even talking about the Vuelta is what if a crashes out first stage of the Tour, then he's focused on the Vuelta.

[A]

You know, that's what happens with the Vuelta. Spencer. I think that, you know, except for example, if you see one, okay, Roglich has said, okay, he wants to go for the Vuelta. That's clear, that's set in stone that the Vuelta is on his calendar. But the Vuelta is traditionally the grand tour that everybody says, okay, we will wait and see what happens until the summer and then we will address the situation and see, you know, if we have succeeded, if there was bad luck, if there was crashes, if there was injuries. That's why the Vuelta, in my opinion, is the most difficult race as a team, to get a motivated team at the start because it's late in the season and, you know, usually everybody has attained their goals already before the Vuelta. So it's an extra.

[B]

Well, an extra or a need to have. Or you've not attained your goals and you got to recover a season. Yeah. But let's take a quick ad break and then we'll talk about any news you have on Derek G. And where he's going next year. When you come back, everybody.

[C]

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[B]

Okay, Johan, we're back. Derek G. Has. Well, I don't want to say too much. I don't want to speak out of school. Do you have any information on where.

[A]

Well, you. You have seen him. You have seen him training with little track, right?

[B]

I didn't want to. I didn't want to battle tale.

[A]

Well, you. You've said it. You've said it in the other. You said it. You said it on Monday.

[B]

Okay. Yeah. So, yeah, he's been training with little track. It seems to be joining that team.

[A]

So, you know, nobody who. I mean, if Derek G. Is training with little track, he is not. It's not because he's not going there. There's no other way. Little track has added Derek G. To their roster. I think it's a great move for both. Yeah, I don't have the details. So we had heard rumors that, well, first of all, Sylvan Adams was going to sue Derek G. For not respecting his contract. Because let's not forget Derek G unilaterally and personally terminated his contract with the team. Now we don't know if the fact that the team has changed the name, if the team has changed paying agent. I don't know. I think the paying agent is still the same. What that does with the contract, with the validity of the contract that Derek G. Had in place. And then I've also heard that Adams had said or let teams know that whoever was going to sign Derek G. Was going to get sued by him personally. And we said last week that Lidl is definitely a giant company. They probably have more resources than Silver and Adams. But anyways, I personally think there's been an agreement. No lawsuit, common agreement. I don't know if it's Adams who gets the money or if it's the new team who gets the money. I don't know about. Or is the company.

[B]

It might be the same thing.

[A]

Yeah, well, we don't know. We don't know that Adams might be.

[B]

Passing that money on. Yeah, we don't know that.

[A]

Well, I mean, you know, he's probably going to pass it on, but it is definitely if, if that money goes. If, if the, the. Let's, let's make one clear. That little drag has paid an amount of money to get Derek G. Out of his supposedly valid contract and get him on the team without any legal problems.

[B]

Probably seven figure sum, if we had to guess.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. Yeah. Which, you know, we don't know if it's 1, 2, 3 million. We don't know still, you know, it is a. As I said, you know, like 7 million for Remco buyout and 10 million for Ayuso. That's, that's. Those are big numbers. So I don't know what the, the buyout for Derek G. Would be. Maybe two, three. I don't know. It's. I think it's still a lot of. Especially I mean with. And with all due respect, you know, Derek G. Is not Remco Evenepool. He has finished fourth in the Giro. Right. Third in the Dauphine, top 10 in the Tour, I think two years ago. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

2024 is ninth of the Tour.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. You know, definitely a good rider and a rider that a team as little track can use because you know, they want to be competitive in all three Grand Tours or in the Grand Tours or in other GC races at the same time, you know. And again, I say this with the utmost respect for Derek G. But you know, it's. Derek G. Is not a rider that you can really build a team on with guarantees of a podium. And you know, there's nothing. Spencer, there's nothing worse for a team or nothing worse. It's extremely difficult and complicated for a team to build your team around for a Grand Tour around a rider who can be podium but most likely won't be podium. Yeah, you know, it's like, okay, he can be third but he can also be seventh. Right. That's a complicated situation. You have to have more players to. You have to combine that with a sprinter, at least in a Grand Tour that goes for stages or somebody for the points jersey. Now, little track could do that. For example, they can do Derek G. For GC in the Giro, for example, and Jonathan Milan for the points jersey. Right, that's that. But, but it's still, it's. It's not a great situation because a rider that goes for the podium also needs the support of a team. And you have to divide your team in two. You know, you need three guys. At least three guys with your sprinter and then three guys with your GC guy. And that's it. Right. So it is a gamble. I don't think Derek G. Will win a Grand Tour next season. He could be third maybe in one of. In either the Giro or the Vuelta. But that's.

[B]

Is that worth the buyout?

[A]

Well, that's the thing. You know, it's, it's, it's. Yeah. I mean, you can also say, well, is, is the 10 million worth the buyout for Ayusu? He has been third in the Vuelta in his first year pro.

[B]

Definitely not worth it.

[A]

And, and then, and you know, so obviously this is, this is a different project. I usually. Because he's young and it's a long. Derek G. Is not the youngest anymore. Right. He's what, he's what, 28? 28.

[C]

20. 20.

[B]

28, yeah.

[A]

So, you know, he can still improve and he probably will because, you know, he came later to the, to the elite level. I seem to remember he was a track rider before.

[B]

He was a very good tracker. Yeah.

[A]

So, you know, that, that, that, that's obviously something to be taken into account, but I think quality wise, I think the podium is the maximum reachable for Derek G. And is a third place in the Giro or the Vuelta, is that worth that effort? Right. On the other hand, you also have to say, okay, what's available? Right. Who's available to strengthen our team? That's not many guys. So you will see. We'll see. It's definitely a courageous move from Little Track to invest that money. It also tells me that they do have a really big budget and are ready to spend a lot of money to develop and strengthen their team.

[B]

You rarely see these big teams now go to any Grand Tour and just say, yeah, we're here for stages. They always seem to have a GC rider. So if you want that depth, that is going to come with a lot of Money. You have to pay a lot of money for that to get that depth, which I guess is what we're seeing here. Remember Visma, it was like 20, 230 to tell you maybe. And they just had nothing going on. Like nothing going on. Doesn't seem like there's room for that anymore amongst these big teams. They have to have something. Derek G. Oscar on Lee. They will join teams at some point. They will wear jerseys. I assume Onley is going to INEOS at this point.

[A]

Yeah, I mean it's too quiet, you know, it's too quiet. He has not been at the training camp. Obviously that's not because he had to recover from his Australian trip. There's something going on there. Yeah, I think they're just working out the details of the transfer. But you know, it looks, I mean, I don't know if you know more, but it looks like INEOS is the place to be. Right.

[B]

He was not at the training camp for Oscar only he'll probably be.

[A]

He was not at the training camp of his current team, Picnic post nl and he was not at the INEOS camp. Right?

[B]

Yeah, suspicious. But they will wear jerseys at some point and this is relevant because the UCI is changing. I think this is like a rare win for the UCI because now we were talking about in the pre show. This has always been the case, but it only is evident this year because big stars have changed teams. But Rimco Evanopole is at the Red Bull team camp in a suit all quick step jersey because he contractually has to wear it until the end of the calendar year, which makes no sense whatsoever. The UCI is going to change the rules so riders can wear the new team jersey November 1st and that's when.

[A]

Their contracts are going to go from November to November. Yeah, something. Spencer, We've been pushing for this for 25 years already. Since I was the team manager. It's always been the case. It is. It feels very unnatural to have, you know, riders on your team. You go to the first training camp, they're all on the new bikes and they still have to wear their outfit from the year before. We've seen it, we've seen it now. And in on the Costa Blanca, right, All these teams riding, we saw, I mean I saw decathlon and then all of a sudden two yellow jerseys popped out of Coy and, and Tish Benott. You know, the whole mismatch of the lotto riders and the intermarshe riders. We don't, we don't even know what the, what the uniform is going to be.

[B]

And someone else is paying you to go to this camp for another team.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Makes no sense.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

You're on the payroll for somebody else. And on the topic of kits, I, I, it's INEOS new kit, orange top. I actually think the orange. When you see their new bus and everything, it looks good orange. Apparently Toadal Energies is like one of their new title sponsors. I was reading that they have a branding rule that their logo has to be on a white background no matter what. So the top of the kit is orange. The bottom of the jersey is white.

[C]

For Toad Aisle and fine, it looks good.

[A]

And then we go down and I.

[B]

Just feel like they went off track.

[A]

A little bit because then gray pants, like, I mean, white, they look white, but they're not really the same white as the jersey. That's.

[B]

Yeah, they look like they're dirty kind of.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know, there must be a thinking behind it, but I don't know what the thinking is. It looks a bit strange. I mean, I guess we're going to get used to it. You know, I think a team like ineos, they're professional, they have professional people around them. So I don't know. I don't know. Initially it feels, it looks strange to me also. They're definitely going to stick out. We're going to see them.

[B]

Going to see them. I think if the shorts were the same orange or they were black, it would look really good.

[A]

Yeah, black would be good. I mean. Or why not the same white? Why not all white, Spencer? Well, the same white as the jersey. I mean. Okay. It's not great for when it's bad weather, but this, this light gray is more or less the same, in my opinion.

[B]

Well, the all white can, yeah, you can have problems in the rain. It cannot look so great, but Johan, I've got to take off. But that's all, that's all I for this week. My power allotment is going to be over, but thank you for doing this and I'll see you next week.

[A]

Okay. Spencer.

[B]

Actually we won't do a show next Friday because it's Boxing Day. We're going to do it the Monday after that.

[A]

Okay, cool. Okay, thanks.

[B]

All right, bye.