Much has been made of how the ongoing protests and stage suspensions in the Vuelta a España is affecting the GC battle with the partial cancellation of two key hilly stages, to Bilbao and Castro de Herville, removing two potential scenarios for showdowns in the overall.
But dig a bit further down into the overall classification and there are others in the Vuleta peloton rueing the loss of arguably an even more serious opportunity - their chances to secure a contract for next season.
The Vuelta is already something of a last-chance saloon contract-less riders - every year, it is a final opportunity to prove to future employers they have something to contribute to a line-up for next season.
Lotto rider Eduardo Sepulveda, still looking for a team for 2026, tells Cyclingnews that other circumstances, like the proposed Intermarché-Wanty-Lotto merger, have also compounded the difficulties of his finding an employer for next year. And now, the ongoing uncertainty over whether the Vuelta will even finish in Madrid means yet more chances to shine, potentially going up in smoke.
"It's not a great combination of circumstances," the 34-year-old from Argentina, with a well-established reputation as a good stage racing domestique but few personal victories, tells Cyclingnews at the start of stage 17.
"I'm not sure about my future, and here in the Vuelta, things are not straightforward for the peloton, in terms of security and whether the race will finish. It's a very tough combination."
Sepulveda is suffering the indirect consequences, too, of the fusion of his current team, Lotto, with Intermarché-Wanty in 2026. Factor in the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Arkéa-B&B Hotels, and the job market is looking increasingly challenging.
In the Vuelta, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have scooped up seven stage wins of 17, and with other teams like Ineos Grenadiers, Visma-Lease a Bike, and Alpecin-Deceuninck all taking two apiece, it has meant few opportunities for outsiders to grab victories, and with the protests, even fewer.
"I'm just doing what I can, stay positive, but it's true that it's not easy. I've never lived through anything like this - well, I have, the COVID-19 races, where it was very difficult, but the protests and cancellations are another story. And they don't know where even today's [Wednesday's] stage will finish."
"So I'm just focusing on trying to show what I'm capable of doing, as best as I can, to try and find a team for next year."
As Cyclingnews has ascertained separately from team sources, Lotto's current management are very satisfied with how Sepulveda has performed this year. Indeed, his future with the team was pretty much guaranteed, the Argentinian said, until the fusion with Intermarché-Wanty was announced.
"It seemed like my position would be secure, but now these aren't the best times to look for something," Sepulveda - who joined Lotto in 2023, but whose pro career stretches back to 2013 and racing with Bretagne-Séche - points out. "I'll keep trying, though, and I've got Il Lombardia and Guangxi on my calendar as well. But by then it could be too late.
"Another problem for me is that I've always worked for the team leaders, all of this year and last, so I don't have personal results. Back in the spring, I was happy with the team; they were happy with me, so I said to management that if they needed me to work for Lennert [van Eetvelt], then not to send me to the Tour of Turkey where I could have fought for individual results.
"That's what they did, and I thought it was better for my future. It was my personal decision, but now things have changed around so much, it wasn't the wisest choice."
The protests, too, are getting bigger and sometimes more disruptive in the Vuelta, which is another worry, and making it harder to find a chance in Spain.
"We're aware of what the Vuelta organisers are trying to do to keep things calm and we can see they're upping the security with police. But the protests are getting bigger too."
"Personally, I hope the Vuelta can continue for the good of the teams, but I am also in favour of the pro-Palestine protests. I just hope we can combine the two, so we can get on with doing our jobs." And that's not to mention having a chance of getting a job for next year, too.
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