Vuelta a España Rest Day Reflections 2026 - Stages 16 to 21 - Mas, Brennan and Bug Hotels

As the dust settles on another blistering season of Grand Tour racing, Matt Stephens takes a look back at the final week of the 2026 Vuelta a España. Matt’s vignettes reflect on the impressive arrival of Matt Brennan, the GC heroics of Enric Mas, a head-turning time trial by Callum Thornley and some returns to glory for Eddie Dunbar and Mikel Landa. Off the bike, Matt’s been busy enjoying the Bug Hotel at Stockley Park, and the whole TNT Sport cycling department tackle the local pub quiz!  www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the temperature rising at the 2026 Vuelta a España, Matt Stephens takes a look back at a blistering week of racing. The dynamic duo of Wout Van Aert and Matty Brennan are a formidable partnership, while Enric Mas continues to look very strong in the red jersey and Oscar Onley clings on to white. In this podcast, Matt takes us into the TNT Sport studio with Orla and Adam for some live race finishes, looks back at the last week and forward to the next, and briefly takes us to Geese (the band) before contemplating what a bag of Vismas might be. www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A rising star, a stage with no winner, and a massive upset for the favourite - the first nine stages of the 2026 Vuelta Ciclista a España had it all. Join Matt Stephens as he looks back at the action from each stage, offering his thoughts on proceedings while also meandering into the territory of waterfowl information boards, a chance encounter with Beck, and a frightening moment for a duck as it escaped from a pike. There really is no other podcast like this.  www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Danish gravel star Mads Würtz Schmidt joins Matt Stephens fresh off a remarkable run of wins to explain how leaving the WorldTour behind has transformed him as an athlete. The Specialized rider opens up candidly about the mental health struggles that derailed parts of his road career, how a new coach and a more structured routine have made him faster and, crucially, more durable, and why he believes gravel racing suits his old-school time-trialling instincts better than anything he found on the road. They also get into life in Girona, the brutal, rock-strewn gravel that makes the region such a proving ground, the bond with teammate Matt Beers that helped power a huge win at Traka, and Mads's hopes of one day adding a gravel World Championship jersey to his collection. www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Stephens takes us behind the scenes at the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift 2026 to share his reactions and opinions to a race that will go down in history as one of the best GC battles of all time. Packed with cameos and guest appearances, Matt reviews Beef Cheeks with Dani Rowe (MBE), gets introduced to Ice lolly gels by Zoe Backstedt, and remembers a time he poured many litres of a questionable substance down a drain with Ned Boulting. www.sigmasports.com Watch the Sigma Sports Cafe Ride with Demi Vollering here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R30utXEe7mE Watch the Sigma Sports Cafe Ride with Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi0RYGUTyMU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Stephens takes us behind the scenes at the Tour de France 2026, where he has been meeting the fans on Alpe d’Huez and witnessing some of the best final week’s racing of all time. There were Individual Time Trials, breakaways, records smashed, and a blistering finish in Paris. Off the bike, Matt has made friends with the Paul Seixas Fan Club, soaked up the atmosphere at Beefeater Bend, and survived a party at “Temu Dutch Corner”! www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Stephens is back with another week’s worth of reflections on rest day two of the 2026 Tour de France. This is the mini series where Matt takes you behind the scenes at the WBD Sport studios, with thrilling in-race finish line action as well as post race analysis and insights. Matt also reflects on a heron reflecting on its own statue, chats tea vessels with his colleague Chappers, and pays homage to the Belgian accent with Adam Blythe… Which, to be honest, is probably why you’re here! www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the TV studio in Chiswick, Matt Stephens takes us behind the scenes at the greatest show on earth (Tour de France), to bring you the second greatest show on earth (this podcast). You’ll hear live finish line reactions from Matt and his Eurosport TNT WB Discovery colleagues, meandering vignettes about crows stealing his lunch, melancholic pizza sadness, and a reminder to those who are finding the Pogacar era a little predictable, that we’re witnessing history with perhaps the greatest rider of all time. www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Stephens chats to one of his best friends and colleagues, Rebecca Charlton, about the cancer diagnosis that led to the toughest year of her life. By approaching her treatments the same way she approaches cycling, Rebecca went all in with full commitment - the only way she knows how. She credits her cyclist mindset and ability to tolerate suffering for her ongoing recovery, and commends the cycling community for their ability to pop up just about anywhere, to chat about Matt Stephens’ balls.  Support Mummy’s Star here - https://www.mummysstar.org/  Support Tour de Four here - https://www.tourde4.com/ www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Stephens takes us to the LeBlanq Joyride Festival on the Isle of Wight. You can expect conversations with Olympian Denise Lewis, Tour de France stage winner Sean Yates, and DJs Lisa Medwell and Taylor Phinney! www.sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices