There is a more than a week until the Tour Down Under opens the WorldTour season for 2026, but the first race on the UCI calendar this year is Venezuela's Vuelta al Táchira, which is still due to take place despite the recent surprise US military action in Caracas.
The strike on January 3 led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro, who are now in New York to face multiple charges related to drug trafficking.
The 61st edition of the UCI 2.2 ranked Vuelta a Táchira takes place from January 9-18, with the teams presentation taking place January 7 at 7:00 p.m. local time in San Cristóbal, where stage 1 will depart for the 214.1km stage 1.
Organisers continue to update social media with 'business as usual' posts, including acknowledgements of a race sponsor, listing of teams and confirmation of the teams presentation tomorrow. Several media, including Tuttobiciweb and l'Escalador, have reported that race organisers are committed to holding the event.
"The Vuelta al Táchira will take place without any modifications, and from Wednesday the first foreign teams will arrive in San Cristóbal," Josmer Cuadros, vice president of the race's organizing committee, said in an interview with l'Escalador.
The planned race route covers 1,533 kilometres across south-west Venezuela, starting and ending in San Cristóbal which is near the border of Colombia.
The capture of Maduro and his wife took place in the nation's capital, more than 800 kilometres to the north. News outlets including Reuters and CNN have reported unrest in Caracas but not in other parts of the country.
The top team on the start list is Trululu Grupo La Guacamaya, which returns with defending champion Eduin Becerra of Venezuela. Several teams from Colombia and Mexico are expected with Venezuelan squads.
