Greg van Avermaet is a former winner of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and in his first spring away from the peloton, he will keep a close eye on the favourites' form. In a recent interview, he admits that Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are currently racing at virtually the same level.
“Roubaix or De Ronde is still 50-50 for me. Van Aert's results have been equally good in both races so far. Why would Van Aert no longer have the explosiveness needed to win De Ronde? I don't necessarily rate Van der Poel higher than Van Aert," van Avermaet told Het Nieuwsblad. “Last year's Cyclocross World Championships were a turning point in that regard. Van der Poel has since shown a greater killer instinct."
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Last year van der Poel took that confidence and he then went on to win Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and the World Championships. In every single one, van Aert was in the podium, but the Team Visma | Lease a Bike missed out on a season-marking victory. “He has never had that luck," 'Golden Greg' says. The Belgian is fully focusing on the monuments this season, the Giro d'Italia and the Olympic Games where he has the chances to succeed and flip a less good chapter in his career.
For the spring, he will change schedules, opting to train at altitude instead of racing Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico. Looking back in his career, van Avermaet believes he should've done the same. "I was one of those last fools who still rode everything," he admits. Van der Poel in the meantime is preparing for the road specifically after conquering a sixth cyclocross world title. His first race of the season is not yet confirmed, but Strade Bianche or one of the World Tour stage-races are likely to be chosen.
Both will face off and be the main favourites for both Flanders and Roubaix later this spring. In the first Tadej Pogacar - last year's winner - will not be present. Van Aert last year was on his path to directly fight for victory, but he suffered a puncture during a late key moment of the race as he attacked, which was the moment Mathieu van der Poel won the race.
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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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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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