Bilbao focusing on late-season classics after Tour de Pologne podium - "Now I train a little shorter and above all more explosive"
Cycling
Pello Bilbao has completed the Tour de Pologne in third place, a performance showing he's back to strong form after a first half of the season, and with clear goals in the months ahead.
“I go back to my roots a bit. I want to work more specifically on one day races. In recent seasons I've always ridden two Grand Tours, so I've focused a lot on endurance," he said in a post-race interview. "However, now I train a little shorter and above all more explosive. And I also do high intensity sessions off the bike".
This year's Tour de Pologne was suited to the classics riders and time-trialists, with Bilbao coming in second in the hilltop finish in Przemysl, and then a ninth place in the time-trial kept him on the podium where he finished. Third at the UAE Tour, ninth at Tirreno-Adriatico, fifth at Itzulia Basque Country, fourth at the Tour of the Alps and fifth at the Giro d'Italia - alongside stage wins at Itzulia and Alps - earned him a spot as one of the most valuable and consistent riders of the season.
His podium in Pologne reinforces that, but instead of racing the Vuelta a Espana for a sixth time the Basque will rather focus on the classics, with his training emphasis already on them. The Canadian classics are on his schedule, several others will likely follow and the World championships may also become a big goal as the 32-year old has shown a lot of sprint power this year and the puncheur-suited route at Wollongong will be a good fitting.
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.
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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)...
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
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- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
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There's no change overall on the final day, and @PelloBilbao1990 confirms his 3rd place in GC @Tour_de_Pologne 🏆🥉🇵🇱 #RideAsOne #TdP22 📸 @SprintCycling
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