"Evenepoel absolutely wanted the GC to be a battle" - Quick-Step veteran pushed for neutralization to prevent time trial crashes
Cycling
The strong winds forced organizers to neutralize the GC times on stage 2 of the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana. The day featured a decisive time trial which instead was only raced for a stage win, to the detriment of Remco Evenepoel's chances of winning the race. Former teammate Yves Lampaert was one of the riders who pushed heavily for the neutralization.
"Remco Evenepoel absolutely wanted the GC to be a battle. We had a meeting and the majority decided. That's how it went, yes: an agreement between the UCI and the teams," Lampaert told Sporza. The Belgian had no aspirations on the day, and the Quick-Step team aren't truly in contention for the race win. In any case, it would be a positive scenario for the veteran, but the reason for the push was the safety of the riders.
"I'd already floated a plan B this morning. Wind gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour were forecast. It reminded me of the 2016 Tour, where Edward Theuns broke his back and Julian Alaphilippe crashed into the rocks in winds of up to 50 kilometers per hour," he explained.
Plan B
Because of this, initially it was pushed to have the riders race the time trial on their road bikes. Afterwards, it was deemed the safest choice to not have the times count for the overall classification, so as to prevent riders from taking unnecessary risks. Most did the effort all-out nonetheless, but there were no crashes to report on the day.
"That's precisely why it was important to consider a plan B," Lampaert argues. "Yesterday, Mads Pedersen crashed. You don't want that in a time trial. Everything went well, and there was order in the chaos."
There were many mixed reactions to the choice to neutralize the race, from riders who did not care and rode their effort regular; some who agreed strongly with the decision; whilst others did not agree that there should've been a neutralization.
Evenepoel was not the only one of that opinion, as Movistar's Iván Romeo also pointed out - adding that the confusion and lengthy time to make a decision was what was most frustrating on a day where he was expected to perform well.
"I think it makes no sense. If we are not going to take risks, we don't do the race. I don't know how many guys, but I think maybe 60-70% of the riders went full gas," Romeo argued. "I really don't understand the situation. I think there should be a protocol and it shouldn't be us deciding and talking 20 minutes before the start of the race,"
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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