Bahrain - Victorious have been very clear on their strength in numbers, and today have managed to see the young talent Santiago Buitrago take a very meaningful win in Lavarone after being the strongest rider from the day's breakaway at the Giro d'Italia.
The hard start to the day up the Passo del Tonale saw a very strong set of group going up the road. Very little resistance in the peloton and an uphill start meant that many of the riders who ambitioned to go for the stage win had the freedom, as INEOS let the group go and controlled the day. The group included over 20 riders, who started to attack each other as soon as the riders hit the hilly section before the two decisive climbs of the day.
Many riders had the head of the race, but the stage started to be decided after the ascent of Valico del Vetriolo. Mathieu van der Poel and Gijs Leemreize got a gap over the descent of over a minute to the chasing group, and slowly made their way up the final brutal ascent to Monterovere. Van der Poel went solo first, then Leemreize, but both were hunted down by Santiago Buitrago who came from behind and took advantage of the steep slopes.
Only in the very final meters of the climb did the Colombian manage to go solo, however when he did Leemreize did not have the legs to close the gap. Buitrago rode into a win, the second of his season, with Leemreize finishing second and Jan Hirt finished third - once again climbing up the GC benefiting from a breakaway.
As for the GC group the stage was ridden very conservatively until the final climb. Bahrain - Victorious showed some early signs of pushing the pace, and together with the work of Richie Porte in the final climb the group was decimated. Mikel Landa launched a couple of attacks, but once again Richard Carapaz and Jai Hindley responded, and the trio rode over the ascent with no differences between them. Together with Wout Poels they worked and built a gap of seconds over João Almeida who dropped from his third place.
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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