"A tough guy who likes to bully his opponents" - Tadej Pogacar receives backlash after first Tour de France days
Cycling
The Tour de France is likely to be decided in the mountains between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, but with so many flat and hilly stages beforehand, the current battle feels more psychological between UAE Team Emiratess - XRG and Team Visma | Lease a Bike. That has been fully visible for days already, and the yellow jersey certainly does not have nice words from everyone in the cycling community.
On stage 6 Visma raced very aggressively at the start to try and have riders in the breakaway and create chaos for UAE; and at the end of the stage pushed the pace hard - likely in an attempt to keep the Slovenian in the yellow jersey, hence losing recovery time and putting UAE in the responsibility position in the peloton.
After the stage Pogacar looked rattled over the Dutch team's tactics, but within Visma there was indifference over the comments. Throughout social media however many keep a close eye on all movements, and a particular moment yesterday where Pogacar pushed Matteo Jorgenson in a feed zone has stirred the pot once again.
"It's obvious that Pogacar was irritated on Thursday (after stage 6 to Vire, ed.). If van der Poel does something stupid, he gives him a pat on the back... And why did Alpecin-Deceuninck ride at the front on Friday? Because Pogacar and van der Poel are friends," Thomas Dekker said in the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast.
In the Het Wiel there were tougher words on the World Champion, as Roxane Knetemann directly criticized Pogacar's action: "He's a tough guy who likes to bully his opponents. Pogacar is an extroverted winner, and Vingegaard is an introverted winner. Pogacar doesn't need to do what he's doing now."
Whilst the riders and sports directors refuse the idea of boiling tensions within the two teams, many speculate that this is the case - regardless of it being shown publicly or behind the scenes. Marijn Abbenhuijs argued this exactly:
“I think they just hate each other; I've had that impression for a while. And that may not only apply to UAE and Visma but perhaps also to Alpecin and Visma".
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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