Racing 6 Sep 2026, 7:36AM

Calzoni Climbs to Ninth on Vuelta a España Stage 14

Stage 14 race report: Walter Calzoni delivered a strong top ten finish for Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team on Stage 14 of Vuelta a España, taking ninth place on a hot and demanding mountain stage to Sierra de la Pandera.

Grand Tour debutant, Calzoni, showed both resilience and composure across the 154.5-kilometre stage from Jaén to Sierra de la Pandera. With very few flat kilometres on the menu, the route quickly became a hard test for the climbers, and the decisive summit finish made it one of the toughest days of the race.

Four riders from Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team made it to the large 45-rider breakaway of the day: Walter Calzoni, Xabier Mikel Azparren, Milan Vader, and David De La Cruz. A good representation of the team, and a chance to grab every opportunity to contest the stage.

Reaching the final climb to Sierra de la Pandera, Calzoni stayed with a reduced group of riders until the steepest slopes began to bite. He fought all the way to the summit, finishing ninth on the stage, 1:06 behind stage winner Marco Brenner from Tudor.

“Honestly, after yesterday I think it started as a really hard day for me. I suffered a bit in the start, and then we went in a really big breakaway with 40 guys. After one hour of racing, I started to feel really good. Xabier was an amazing help. He stayed in the front a lot and made a really big gap for us. On the final climb, I felt good, and with four or five kilometres to the finish we were a small group of maybe ten riders. I felt strong, and finally in the steep part I suffered a bit. I took the wheel of Almeida and tried to make the best of it. I am really happy,” Calzoni said after the stage where he took his first World Tour top ten.

The result marks another important step for the team in this Vuelta, underlining its ability to take opportunities from aggressive racing and compete at the front in different terrains.

"I arrived at the Vuelta with good legs. Maybe in the first days I suffered a bit, but now I know I can compete at the front. We have another eight days, so we will try to do our best also with the other guys. With this stage, we showed that we are a strong team, that we can take the opportunities, and maybe make a result at the finish."

Walter Calzoni

Equipment list for Calzoni: