After the women's race saw Lorena Wiebes take the win yesterday, the men's Profronde van Drenthe took place today and was discussed between mostly Pro Teams. Dries van Gestel took what was only the second, but the biggest win of his career.
The 198-kilometer race resembled yesterday's course, with some early cobbled sectors, and then a final circuit based around the VAM-berg, a small cobbled climb which was tackled five times and was the place where the race mostly blew up, as the traditional aggressive spirit dictated the race today. Jumbo-Visma and Arkéa Samsic had a battle on Dutch roads and had a great portion of the leading group that went into the final lap of the circuit where van Gestel himself imploded the group, causing small groups to be spread throughout the road.
As Jumbo attacked the group in the final kilometers with their numerical advantage with Timo Roosen and Mick van Dijke. As Roosen attacked with three kilometers to go, pre-race favourite Hugo Hofstetter and van Gestel followed, and when the pace slowed the TotalEnergies rider accelerated with no response as the duo were absorbed by the rest of the group.
Van Gestel showed his strong current form he's shown in the semi-classics so far and soloed to the race win in style. Barnabás Peák and Hugo Hofstetter completed the podium, coming in with the sprint in the chasing group.
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)...
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🚴🇳🇱 | Dries van Gestel is de naam. En hij mag zichzelf winnaar noemen van de Ronde van Drenthe! 🙌🇧🇪 #RondevDrenthe 📺 Koers kijk je op discovery+
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