
UAE Team Emirates - XRG have been piling up the wins and UCI points in recent weeks at the start of the 2025 season, and this is likely to continue this week in the Middle East. At the Tour of Oman, this will be the team to beat, as Adam Yates and Jay Vine form a formidable duo that will be aiming for the overall win.
Adam Yates is the reigning champion after in 2024 Finn Fisher-Black dominated the early stages, but on the famous 'Green Mountain' the Briton took over and had a comfortable win. He will be the main favourite to once again win the overall classification, even if this time around this race isn't preparation for the UAE Tour - he will instead travel back to Europe to do some more races and then prepare for the Giro d'Italia.
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The likes of David Gaudu, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Wout Poels will be the main competition for the Emirati team, who will have also very capable weapons in the mountains in the form of Jay Vine who just came off the Tour Down Under, and also Rafal Majka who was one of the favourites to win the AlUla Tour but was severely affected by a fall on the first day of the race. Both should be luxury domestiques for the Briton in the key days.
There will be the debut of Belgian Florian Vermeersch in Oman as well, as he begins his serious preparation for the spring classics, and he will be joined by the very experienced Vegard Stake Laengen who is used to long stints working in the front of the peloton. The team is completed by two riders from the development team in Luca Giaimi and Tadej Pogacar's compatriot Anze Ravbar.
UAE Team Emirates - XRG for Tour of Oman 2024:
Vegard Stake Laengen
Rafal Majka
Florian Vermeersch
Jay Vine
Adam Yates
Luca Giaimi
Anze Ravbar
Rafal Majka
Florian Vermeersch
Jay Vine
Adam Yates
Luca Giaimi
Anze Ravbar
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We're excited to head to Oman as defending champions. Here is our lineup for the #TourofOman 🇴🇲:
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) February 4, 2025
🇳🇴 @VSLaengen
🇵🇱 @majkaformal
🇧🇪 @FlorianVermeers
🇦🇺 @JayVine3
🇬🇧 @AdamYates7
🇮🇹 #LucaGiaimi (Gen-Z)
🇸🇮 #AnzeRavbar (Gen-Z)#WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/5Geqo1fudj

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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