The new era: The great talents of the overall classification - Pellizzari, Martinez & Vauquelin

Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard have shared all six Tour de France victories between them since 2020. But for the first time since the beginning of their era, there is a new generation of cyclists who don't care about the big names. Here: Giulio Pellizzari, Lenny Martinez and Kévin Vauquelin.

Not all talented riders are already where they want to be. Some riders have already shown signs of their class, are always present at decisive moments and yet still lack that one, irrefutable proof that they can really carry a race for days and weeks. The third part of this series is all about names like these: talents with visibly great ability, with the courage and talent for the really big tasks, but who have not yet made it all the way to the front. They are on the cusp from promise to announcement and the next few years will show whether potential really does become top class.

Giulio Pellizzari - Italy's diamond in the rough

The Italian is only 21 years old and yet Italian fans already see him as the next Giro winner. Two sixth places in Grand Tours in 2025 - at the Giro and the Vuelta - show his ability. Pellizzari only rode as a professional for the first time last season, but immediately exceeded expectations. If he continues this upward trend, the Italian tifosi will finally have a rider they can cheer for again.

This year, Pellizzari will not be sent to the Tour by his team, so he can continue his development at the Tour of Italy without having to compete with Evenepoel or Lipowitz. Because: Red Bull has a very full bus in 2026. Many established pros and up-and-coming talents will have to share a squad. This is no easy task, especially with a view to the Grand Tours, although it is more of a luxury problem. The route via the Giro this year is therefore exactly the right one, allowing the raw Italian diamond to be further honed and to attack at the very front of the Tour of France in the future.

Lenny Martinez - Not just eternal talent

Not many people can claim to be wearing the leader's jersey of a Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, at the age of 20. Perhaps that's why Lenny Martinez is treated differently to many of the young talents; you quickly get the feeling that the young Frenchman will become one of the eternal talents who never makes his breakthrough. What Martinez obviously still lacked was consistency. Sometimes he rode a great tour, like at the Tour de Romandie 2025, which he finished in second place, sometimes he ended up somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the overall classification.

But one thing is certain. Martinez is an absolute climbing talent. His ease on steep climbs makes him a natural classics rider, but the decisive factor will be how he develops in the time trial and his consistency over three weeks. If he manages to take a step forward here, he has the potential to compete for podium places in grand tours in the future.

Kévin Vauquelin - The all-rounder

Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin is also new to Team INEOS. Just like Oscar Onley, he comes from a smaller team, but urgently needed a new employer after his old team disbanded. His performances last season provided enough arguments to secure a contract. A versatile rider with clear strengths in hilly, mountainous terrain and in time trials. In addition to his seventh place in the Tour de France, Vauquelin can also ride classics.

Nevertheless, the next step is the most difficult. The decisive factor will be whether Vauquelin can improve his performance in long high mountain climbs to such an extent that he can not only survive over three weeks, but also ride at the front. If he succeeds in taking this step, the versatile points and stage rider could become a serious candidate for podium ambitions in the grand tours.