The world was shaken last Saturday by an attack from the United States on Venezuela. This also seemed to have an impact on the cycling world: this coming Friday marks the start of the first UCI road race of 2026 in Venezuela, the Vuelta al Táchira (UCI 2.2). Despite the current political tensions, the race will go ahead.
The organizers have meanwhile confirmed on social media that the race will take place. A press conference will be held soon, where all the details about the 61st edition (from January 9 to 18) of this multi-day stage race will be announced.
During the attack, the US military targeted several locations, including a military base near the capital Caracas. Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were also taken prisoner by the United States. Tensions between the two countries have been escalating in recent months and weeks.
President Donald Trump accuses his counterpart Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel, which the US president claims is behind hundreds of thousands of drug-related deaths in the US. The European Union calls on all parties involved to remain calm and exercise restraint to prevent further escalation and find a peaceful solution.
Although usually few Europeans participate, the Vuelta al Táchira is one of the bigger races on the America Tour. This Friday features the opening stage, followed by nine more stages through the Táchira region. This area is located in western Venezuela, bordering Colombia.
The provisional start list mainly includes club teams, alongside a Bolivian Continental team and the better-known Colombian team GW Erco Shimano. With Viatcheslav Ekimov (1988), Leonardo Sierra (1993), José Rujano (2004, 2005, 2010, and 2015), and Jonathan Caicedo (2024), several well-known names are on the honor roll.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 |  Eduin Becerra |
| 2024 |  Jonathan Klever Caicedo Cepeda |
| 2023 | Jose Alarcon |
| 2022 | Roniel Campos |
| 2021 | Roniel Campos |
| 2020 | Roniel Campos |
| 2019 | Yimmi José Briceno |
| 2018 | Pedro Gutierrez |
| 2017 | Yonathan Salinas |
| 2016 |  Yoser Chavarria |
| Date | Stage | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09-01 | 1 | San Cristóbal | Socopo |
| 10-01 | 2 | Socopo | San Cristóbal |
| 11-01 | 3 | Circuito Santos Rafael Bermudez | Circuito Santos Rafael Bermudez |
| 12-01 | 4 | La Fría | Mérida |
| 13-01 | 5 | Mérida | Mérida |
| 14-01 | 6 | El Vigía | La Grita |
| 15-01 | 7 | San Cristóbal | Tariba |
| 16-01 | 8 | Abejales | Cerro El Cristo |
| 17-01 | 9 | Rubio | Rubio |
| 18-01 | 10 | Ureña | San Cristóbal |
