EOLO - Kometa reported to have race weight and body fat contract clauses, according to former rider
Cycling
Body weight is and has always been a very important topic in professional cycling, with riders trying to improve their W/Kg as much as possible for climbing. That focus may however have been taken over the limit, as former EOLO - Kometa rider John Archibald reported that there was a contract clause that allowed the team to dispense riders if they were above race weight.
Archibald was a part of the Italian team in 2021 after his time-trialing prowess took him to Pro Team level. It was a one-year contract however, with no wins and the lack of memorable performances coming out of it: “It wasn’t a good fit for either party and didn’t work out well, our mentalities didn’t match," he told Veloveritas.
He explained that there was a lack of preparation for the time-trial which directly affected him: "There wasn’t the attention to detail when preparing for and riding time trials – no proper skinsuits or aero socks and tyres over-inflated at 110 psi all the little things that matter," he said, but instead the team's focus was elsewhere.
“Their obsession was with skin folds and body weight – a memo went round that 60% of the team was not at their correct racing weight, they wanted you at no more than 8% body fat and there was a clause in your contract that they could dispense with your services if you went two kilos over your race weight," he revealed.
A track specialist, aswell as a leading figure over the last few years in the British domestic scene, Archibald was not a fit for the Italian team who seeked to get him. The collaboration saw a second place late in the year at the Tour Poitou - Charentes time-trial, however little more came from the team.
“At the training camp I was six kilos lighter than I was when riding the track – with hindsight, that wasn’t helpful," he believed, whilst adding that he didn't feel the correct work was being done with him: "The coach concentrated on building threshold and endurance but where I needed to improve was on top end, sprinting out of bends and roundabouts – and over the top of hills."
“By the time I understood that it was too late to correct but even with the right equipment and on top form the atmosphere just wasn’t right for me," he concluded.
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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