Wout Poels as extended his career by yet another year. The Dutch rider has spent many years in the peloton already, turning professional in 2006, but is not yet ready to call an end to his career. He is spending one more year at Unibet Rose Rockets.
"The most important thing is that I still really enjoy it. "The Giro went very well, and afterwards I thought that if I can still perform at this level, we might as well continue for another year."
Poels had spent several seasons at Bahrain - Victorious, and in 2025 signed with XDS Astana Team. The Dutchman appeared to be in the closing stages of his career, however considered continuing after receiving an offer from the Dutch-French Unibet Rose Rockets team, then led by Bas Tietema.
His performances throughout the 2026 season have proven the veteran is still competitive at the highest level, and, together with Dylan Groenewegen, will continue to spearhead the team.
Wout Poels has extended his contract until 2027
Poels is a Former veteran at Team Sky
Poels is at a very different point of his career than a decade ago, as he won the 2016 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Throughout his stint at Team Sky, now called Netcompany INEOS, he has supported Chris Froome on several Grand Tour attempts, often being termed his right-hand man.
Poels' success throughout his career is as much individual as it is collective, as his work had a very large influence on the entire cycling world throughout the 2010's.
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Poels rode a strong Giro d'Italia, finishing twice in the Top10 throughout the race, including one of the race's queen stages on the 14th day in the Valle d'Aosta. H ewas then fourth at the Sibiu Cycling Tour, and finished in the Top10 of the Arctic Race of Norway as well.
As the team aims to race the 2027 Tour de France, that could prove to be one of Poels' main objectives in what should be his final season in the peloton. "It would be great if we could ride a Grand Tour with the team, and if we do, I'd love to be there. I often perform at my best in those races,"
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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leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
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