UAE Team Emirates-XRG land the general classification in Japan, as Oliveira makes it two stage wins in as many days for the Emirati squad
Monday 12 October, 2026
Taking a remarkable second stage victory in succession, Ivo Oliveira claimed the final stage of the Tour de Kyushu and landed the overall title for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
The result marks Oliveira’s first-ever general classification success, and takes the Emirati squad to 77 victories for the 2026 campaign. With one week of racing left on the road, the team will hope to follow in Oliveira’s wheel tracks and nudge this number even higher.
As for the Portuguese rider, Monday’s win came at the end of a fast and furious stage to and from Miyazaki, on the Japanese island of Kyushu. Oliveira out-sprinted Alexandre Delettre (TotalEnergies) and Luke Mudgway (Li Ning Star) to cross the line in first place and throw his arms to the sky as the overall champion.
It was a victory that came incredibly well-earned on stage 3.
Oliveira had entered the final stage wearing the blue leader’s jersey, following his triumph on Sunday’s second stage, but time gaps in the general classification were minimal. As such, the 30-year-old was well aware that attacks could come from all around, as riders sought to dislodge him from the lead.
In turn, Oliveira’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates rallied around their leader.
First up, it was down to Davide Stella, Enea Sambinello and Adrià Pericas to lead the peloton through the stage’s early knockings. Together, the trio ensured that control was imposed on the race, and the breakaway was kept at a manageable margin. This would be important ahead of what would prove an incredibly demanding finale.
Into the final 30km of action, Oliveira was at the head of proceedings, flanked by his teammate Kevin Vermaerke.
It was at this point that attacks began to fly from the peloton. One of the biggest moves came from Jordan Jegat of TotalEnergies, a top-10 finisher in the past two Tours de France. The Frenchman was determined to end his time with TotalEnergies in style, ahead of his winter move to Lidl-Trek.
For a time, Jegat was solo off the front of the peloton. The move looked strong, but the Frenchman hadn’t counted on the determination of Vermaerke behind. Working on behalf of the race leader Oliveira, the American single-handedly closed down the move, denying Jegat 11km from the line.
Into those final kilometres, Oliveira was faced by wave after wave of further attacks. The onslaught came from left and right as rival teams looked to break the race leader.
Working together, Oliveira and Vermaerke combined to close down every single move, no matter the price. The pair rode out of their skin for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and these efforts were rewarded at the very last. Their work had been exemplary.
With the reduced peloton all together inside the flamme rouge, Oliveira bided his time before opening up his sprint inside the last 200m. The 30-year-old timed his acceleration smartly, passing Delettre just before the line and taking his second stage victory in a row.
Winner of two of the three stages in Japan, Oliveira moved to 10 career victories on Monday. This one was to prove extra special for the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, marking his first-ever general classification title. It proved the perfect way for Oliveira to close out his 2026 campaign.
Oliveira: “I feel amazing, I feel super super happy. I think it is my best victory on the road. I never won a GC before, so to come to Japan and win two stages and the overall classification, I am over the moon. The guys today from my team… I have no words for them. Everyone did their job amazingly. Davide, Enea and Adrià, and especially Kevin in the last 30km, he pulled back Jordan alone. Kevin, for me, he deserves to win this stage, this Tour, because really what he did for me today was amazing and I have to thank him.
“In the end, I had to do my sprint and do my final sprint to win the overall classification. I won the stage as well, so I am over the moon.
“I think this race was nearly perfect for us. With Davide, our young sprinter, we did fourth place with him in the first stage. Then, we win two stages and the GC. There was only one stage we did not win, so I think it is a perfect way to finish the road season and it is amazing. I have good shape after the Vuelta a España, but my team were also pulling as though they truly believed in me, and without this, nothing is possible.
“The race in Japan was amazing, I can only say good things about Japan. I can be very proud, my team can be proud. The roads, the fans, the people, everyone is so kind, and everything is so organised out here, so I really hope cycling can return to Japan even more often. I want to thank my fans out here, we saw a lot of support all week, so I’d love to come back to this amazing race.”
Tour de Kyushu 2026 stage 3 results:
- Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 2:34:46
- Alexandre Delettre (TotalEnergies) s.t
- Luke Mudgway (Li Ning Star) s.t
Tour de Kyushu 2026 general classification (final) after stage 3:
- Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 8:47:36
- Luke Mudgway (Li Ning Star) +16″
- Alexandre Delettre (TotalEnergies) +26″
