The finalists for the 2026 Vélo d’Or have been revealed, with Tadej Pogačar, Demi Vollering, Lorena Wiebes and Mathieu van der Poel among the riders in contention for cycling’s annual individual awards. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Monaco on Saturday, 28 November, where four new prizes will be presented for the first time.
L’Équipe published the full list of finalists on Thursday, 29 October. As well as the men’s and women’s Vélo d’Or, the ceremony will recognise the leading Classics riders, sprinters, rookies and French riders of the 2026 season.
Women’s Vélo d’Or 2026 nominees
Ten riders are on the shortlist for the women’s main award, which has been presented separately since 2022. The finalists cover Grand Tour racing, the Classics and time trials, with several riders also nominated in the specialist categories.
- Juliette Berthet
- Paula Blasi
- Kimberley Le Court-Pienaar
- Elisa Longo Borghini
- Antonia Niedermaier
- Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney
- Marlen Reusser
- Anna van der Breggen
- Demi Vollering
- Lorena Wiebes
Vollering and Wiebes represent contrasting routes to the nomination, with the former noted for her stage-racing and Classics ability and the latter for her sprinting. Reusser and Niedermaier bring time-trial pedigree, while Niewiadoma-Phinney and Longo Borghini have built their reputations across the most demanding road races.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who won the women’s Vélo d’Or in 2025, is not among the ten overall finalists this time, although she features on the shortlist for the French women’s rider award.
Men’s Vélo d’Or 2026 nominees
Pogačar is nominated again after winning the main award in 2025. He is joined by Grand Tour contenders, established Classics specialists and several riders who have taken on larger roles during 2026.
- Isaac del Toro
- Remco Evenepoel
- Felix Gall
- Enric Mas
- Brandon McNulty
- Tadej Pogačar
- Paul Seixas
- Wout van Aert
- Mathieu van der Poel
- Jonas Vingegaard
Del Toro, McNulty and Pogačar give UAE Team Emirates-XRG three places on the ten-man list. Seixas is the youngest nominee in the main men’s category, while Evenepoel, Van Aert, Van der Poel and Vingegaard ensure the shortlist is not confined to one style of racing.
Classics rider of the year finalists
The separate Classics awards have five finalists in each category. They allow the jury to recognise one-day performances independently of the season-long assessment used for the main Vélo d’Or.
Women: Franziska Koch, Lotte Kopecky, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Puck Pieterse and Demi Vollering.
Men: Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogačar, Paul Seixas, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel.
Several riders appear on both their overall and Classics shortlists. Kopecky, the 2024 women’s Vélo d’Or winner, and Pieterse are among the women nominated specifically for their one-day racing, while the five men’s contenders are all also on the main Vélo d’Or list.
New sprinter of the year awards
For 2026, the organisers have introduced separate awards for the leading male and female sprinters. It gives pure sprinting a distinct place at a ceremony where the main prizes have often rewarded riders with a broader range of results.
Women’s sprint finalists: Elisa Balsamo, Lara Gillespie, Charlotte Kool, Nienke Veenhoven and Lorena Wiebes.
Men’s sprint finalists: Matthew Brennan, Paul Magnier, Tim Merlier, Jonathan Milan and Jasper Philipsen.
Brennan is the British representative on the men’s sprint list and is also in contention for the new rookie award. Wiebes is the only rider who appears on both the women’s overall Vélo d’Or and sprint shortlists.
Rookie awards give the public a vote
The other two new awards recognise riders who made an impact in their first appearances at a Grand Tour, Monument or World Championships. The category is not limited to first-year professionals, and unlike the main Vélo d’Or, the rookie prizes will be decided by public voting.
Women’s rookie finalists: Paula Blasi, Célia Gery and Isabella Holmgren.
Men’s rookie finalists: Matthew Brennan, Jakob Omrzel and Paul Seixas.
Blasi and Seixas are also shortlisted for the main women’s and men’s Vélo d’Or respectively. Brennan has the chance to appear twice among the inaugural winners, having been recognised for his sprinting as well.
French awards, voting and ceremony details
The French rider prizes have their own shortlists. Dorian Godon, Romain Grégoire, Paul Magnier, Lenny Martinez and Paul Seixas are nominated among the men. Juliette Berthet, Marion Bunel, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Célia Gery and Cédrine Kerbaol feature among the women.
For the main Vélo d’Or, an international jury of cycling journalists ranks five riders from each ten-person shortlist. First place earns five points, second four, third three, fourth two and fifth one. The votes will be revealed at the 28 November ceremony at the Fairmont Monte Carlo, which will be shown live and free-to-air on L’Équipe’s French television channel.
The event will present twelve awards in all, including paracycling honours. The new sprinter and rookie prizes account for four of the additions to the 2026 ceremony.
