On the latest episode of the Cyclingnews podcast, brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville, we look back at the first six stages of the Vuelta a Espana and hear from Richie Porte and former race leader Michal Kwiatkowski.

 Ed Pickering and Daniel Benson dissect the first six stages and the GC battle as the race heads towards Sunday’s first major mountain test, while the team from Cyclingnews and Procycling also analyze the fallout from Aqua Blue’s demise, the latest on Mark Cavendish.

 It’s been a turbulent month for Aqua Blue. At the start of August they announced that they had bought Sniper Cycling, the parent company of Veranda’s Willems Crelan. Within minutes that press release was removed with Sniper denying a deal a had been done. A few days later Aqua Blue owner Rick Delaney told Cyclingnews that news will be out soon. He says it will be positive news but that for legal reasons he could not divulge more information. Then this Monday another press release lands and Aqua Blue announce that they are folding. We take an in depth look back at what happened, how a Pro Continental team could vanish after less than two years into the sport.

We also discuss the future for Mark Cavendish, who at the age of 33, has been diagnosed with Epstein Barr virus (EBV) for a second time. Cavendish is taking a break from competitive cycling but his return to the sport is somewhat uncertain with no new contract yet for 2018, and while he most certainly will have options, could this latest setback be the end for one of cycling’s most successful sprinters of all time?