The Giro d'Italia seems to have confirmed the 'overtake' that had been brewing in recent weeks. Wout van Aert's performance has been steadily dropping and today we can safely say that he does not belong to the famous 'Big 6' of world cycling, those who win the big 3-week races and the great classics.
He is not at the level of Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic. He isn't. In fact, it's hard to give a name that is, but the season Mads Pedersen is having makes him worthy of getting close to that position and, in any case, overtaking him as a cyclist at the moment better than Wout.
And speaking only of this particular season, Van Aert has not won yet this year and Pedersen has already accumulated 6 victories. The Dane has only been worse than the Belgian at Dwars door Vlaanderen, where Visma was beaten by Neilsson Powless.
Van Aert failed to win in his debut in the Algarve and then in the classics season he has had several podium finishes, although he missed out on the podium in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix - in both he was fourth.
Pedersen, meanwhile, was second in Flanders, winning the sprint over Van der Poel and Wout himself, and third in Roubaix despite a puncture at a key moment. Before that he had just won the Gent-Wevelgem and in the beginning of the season he added stage and overall in the Tour de la Provence and stage in Paris-Nice - where he also performed spectacularly in the mountains.
The definitive has arrived at the Giro d'Italia. The fight between the two was expected for the pink jersey on the opening stage, but it wasn't to be for the Visma rider. The Belgian tried, but once again he couldn't hold off Pedersen in the sprint. In the third stage he couldn't hold on in the climb and saw from far away the second victory of the Lidl-Trek rider. He was sick before the race. Yes, but he wasn't sick during the classics and he was inferior. The overtaking is clear: Mads Pedersen is, as of today, a better cyclist than Wout van Aert.
Original: Juan Larra.
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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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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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