“I can’t escape it" - Wout van Aert knows that anything but a win in Roubaix will see him get targeted by local media
Cycling
Belgium is the birthplace of many of cycling's best ever, and whilst it still does currently, it's no match for the 20th century's stars. Because of the country's history, tradition and large landscape of media, it's riders receive substantially more attention than in most other nations. This contributes to an environment of pressure and criticism for it's best riders, as Wout van Aert describes ahead of Paris-Roubaix.
“I can’t escape it. After a defeat, I can get stuck in my disappointment for a few days and have trouble getting over it, especially in one-day races," he admits in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws.
But this is not the case during the three-week races. "That is also a reason why I do well in the Grand Tours. I have already been advised: don’t read the newspapers, but literally everywhere I go, the baker or a friend’s, they will start talking about it.”
Born and living in Belgium, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider has been throughout his whole career the big rival of Mathieu van der Poel. Whilst early in their career the Belgian often got the best out of the Dutchman, in recent years that has switched dramatically towards the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, both on the road and cyclocross.
But despite the many crashes and injuries that have hindered him, there is very little margin for error in the eyes of many for van Aert. The prsence of winners such as van der Poel and Pogacar, who seemingly win races merely on the fact that they are significantly stronger than everyone else, makes it hard for anyone else to take big wins in the spring classics where they are present. This, alongside what was a very modest spring and different approach to the monuments, saw van Aert be heavily criticized all the way into Flanders.
“The older I get, the easier it is," but he gives a clear example on how the focus in the Belgian media drifts towards him regardless of what happens in the races. “During the opening weekend, I had the feeling afterwards that the news was that I had ridden badly, while Soren Waerenskjold won the Omloop in a fantastic way. There was almost nothing about that in the newspaper on Monday.”
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🇫🇷 #ParisRoubaix
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) April 12, 2025
One of the most 𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 weekends in cycling is here. pic.twitter.com/3wij0m8P69
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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