Among the big WorldTeam transfers before the 2026 season, Lidl-Trek and Ineos could both brag about acquiring two stage race aces. And after their first stage races, which concluded on Sunday, the new hires all showed their worth.
Lidl-Trek signed Spaniard Juan Ayuso early and Canadian Derek Gee-West late. Ayuso won 2.Pro-rated Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta in Portugal, while Gee-West placed seventh in the UAE Tour. Young Mexican sensation Isaac del Toro claimed his first WorldTour stage race title in the UAE.
Ineos reloaded with Brit Oscar Onley, fourth in last year’s Tour de France, and Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin, seventh in that same Tour and the 2025 Tour de Suisse runner-up. In Portugal Onley came fourth and Vauquelin seventh. With Thymen Arensman ninth as well, Ineos took the team prize ahead of third-place João Almeida’s UAE-Emirates.
Ayuso will take on Paris-Nice next, while Gee-West has WorldTour Volta a Catalunya to contest in a month hence. Onley and Vauquelin will face Ayuso in the Race to the Sun.
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