"I am not disappointed that I lose the pink, because I expected this" - Andreas Leknessund's pink adventure comes to an end
Cycling
Andreas Leknessund soared to the lead of the Giro d'Italia on stage 4 at Lago Laceno. His stint in the lead of the race has come to an end in the race's second time-trial where the Norwegian was unable to defend himself against household names in the discipline.
“Today was not my best time trial, but I gave everything. It was super cool to be the last one at the start,” Leknessund said in a post-race interview. After a demanding week on the bike the Team DSM rider has suffered against the clock, eventually coming home 19th, 1:15 minutes down on stage winner Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian ended up abandoning the race later in the night, however Geraint Thomas is the new leader of the race.
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Leknessund was initially sixth, but is now fifth in the overall classification. He will start stage 10 only 22 seconds back on the lead he held, now belonging to INEOS Grenadiers. “I am not disappointed that I lose the pink, because I expected this. I have worn the jersey longer than I thought”, he admits.
Although he sits well in the GC, he hints that he will return to stage chasing ambitions. “And now that I'm no longer in pink, we're going to race differently. This is a good Giro for the breakaways and I now prefer that myself. There are more opportunities to come and I look forward to that," he concluded.
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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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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
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💬"I’m looking forward to the rest day tomorrow and then the last two weeks in the Giro where I think as a team we will continue to ride well and there is more to come from this group, for sure." - @andreaslek Andreas is already looking ahead at the #Giro after today's TT 👇🏻
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