"He’s going to have a freedom he didn’t have until now" - Juan Ayuso in a position of great potential for former Spanish national coach
Cycling
We are at the very start of pre-season for all teams, and it’s also time to unveil various races. Pascual Momparler, former head of the Spanish national team, has spoken about the country's biggest hopes for the World Championships and also tackled the Juan Ayuso topic, an interesting rider who has made the move to Lidl-Trek in search of more success - but will he have it?
Momparler, current organizer of the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, yesterday presented a new edition of his other race, the Benidorm Cyclo-cross World Cup. In that context, in which it was announced that there is now a bid to host the CX World Championships in 2031, he spoke with Marca and reviewed the latest on top Spanish cyclists he knows so well, such as Carlos Rodríguez, Juan Ayuso, and Enric Mas.
He started out very positive about the level of the Spanish riders and Alejandro Valverde’s first year in the big events as his replacement at the helm of the Spanish National Cycling Team: “I think it’s been a very good season, Spanish cyclists have been at a very high level, I think they’ve shown that yes, you can dream of a medal at a European Championship, that yes, you can dream of a medal at a World Championship, I think that’s been done incredibly well.”
Regarding the rider from Granada at INEOS Grenadiers, he lamented his bad luck with injuries in recent times and wished him a speedy recovery: “With the bad taste of all the injuries that Carlos Rodríguez has had. I hope he comes back much stronger and that luck takes him to the top of the podium, where he had gotten us used to seeing him.”
Carlos Rodríguez was 10th at the Tour de France before abandoning after a crash. @Sirotti
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The most significant change in Spanish cycling has undoubtedly been Juan Ayuso’s signing for Lidl–Trek. Momparler offers a curious analysis of his first year away from UAE Team Emirates - XRG with Tadej Pogacar and company:
“Changes are always good; he’s going to have a freedom he didn’t have until now, but he’ll be up against the best team in the world, it won’t be as easy for him to win as he was used to. If he now truly starts winning week-long stage races, we can dream of something very big.”
About Pello Bilbao and Mikel Landa: “Pello and Mikel are two cyclists who have given us so much that we shouldn’t demand anything more from them. Tell them to enjoy this last year because they’re sure to give us some gem and leave us something there.”
Enric Mas’s calendar change
He believes that for Enric Mas, changing his calendar and setting aside the Tour de France for the first time in a long while could be very good for the Movistar Team leader: “Enric is coming off an injury; we need to be patient with him. He’s one of the best cyclists we’ve had in Spain, he’s always a podium contender at the Vuelta a España when he’s raced it. So if he recovers well, with a calendar change to the Giro and the Vuelta, he’s going to give us something good too.”
Finally, he told Marca he is against the possible date swap between the Vuelta a España and the Giro d’Italia: “I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think moving the Vuelta a España to May and pushing the Giro back wouldn’t be good for the Vuelta. I think when the Vuelta runs in August it has incredible audiences, and that month works very well for the Vuelta a España. So if I were Javier Guillén, I’d keep things as they are.”
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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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- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
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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
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
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- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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