150mm cranks and a bizarre saddle - Was this the secret to Jonas Vingegaard's Volta ao Algarve victory?
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard has won the Volta ao Algarve with a convincing time-trial where he put his rivals on blast and won significant time. After almost 6 months out of competition, the Dane showed up with several novelties in his time-trial bike, and this could've been an extremely successful improvement for his expected battle against Tadej Pogacar.
The cranks... Tadej Pogacar, very noticeably, started riding smaller 165mm cranks on his road bikes last year, and it could've potentially changed his riding style and helped him take the next step when it came to performances.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge recently said that: "We saw that Pogacar and other riders from Team UAE were racing with shorter cranks. We were also investigating that option, but they were the first to dare to implement it, and apparently it works."
Jonas Vingegaard ended his 2024 season in August and began training in October for 2025. This extra time on the bike was likely used to test some changes in the Dane's bike setup. Certainly, the use of shorter cranks was tested and Plugge's words anticipated what we'd see in the time-trial. Although it was a time-trial, Vingegaard did not only race a bike with reduced crank size, but he went as far down as 150mm.
Het Laatste Nieuws reported that 27 of the Dutch team's riders have effectively reduced their crank size, and that in some bikes this number had been scraped so as to escape the public eye. But open-eyed fans at the Volta ao Algarve measured a 150mm crank in Vingegaard's time-trial bike.
Vingegaard himself, before the time-trial, confirmed that he had gone through some changes: "We have made some small changes to the time trial bike. So just to see how it works, but also how I stand". The results speak for themselves.
But not only were the crank sizes under the spotlight this weekend, but also Vingegaard's unusual saddle. Made by Prologo, the custom-made saddle was visible on both Vingegaard and van Aert's bikes. Another unusual change, but an attempt at something new that seems to have worked quite effectively.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike were put on the spot in 2024 as (although hampered by injuries and illnesses) they became quite a secondary team to UAE Team Emirates - XRG, but this has not unmotivated the team. Instead, over the winter it seems like there was once again a lot of focus on where to potentially improve, and that entering 2025 these changes are being implemented and will become an extra challenge for the Emirati team and Tadej Pogacar this summer.
Read also
E o selim estranho do Vingegaard na bike de crono? pic.twitter.com/b7ZJKEinrc
— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) February 23, 2025
A fofoca desse início de ano são os pedivelas reduzidos. Pogacsr trucou com 165mm e agora Vingegaard pediu seis com 150mm.
— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) February 22, 2025
O que eu acho? Que do que vi até aqui (eu sei que é bem cedo), que Pogacar venceria até com pedivela 180mm.
Visma tem muito trabalho a fazer. pic.twitter.com/IySaLjc3SH
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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