"I certainly won't look at him angrily if I see him" - Tim Wellens accept Maciejuk's apologies after Tour of Flanders crash, talks recovery after injuries
Cycling
Tim Wellens has dealt quite well with his move to UAE Team Emirates, however his spring ended prematurely at the Tour of Flanders. The team nevertheless supported Tadej Pogacar to a strong win on the day, as Wellens was taken out by a mass crash, but now talks of the subject after recovery.
“The first days after the fall were not so much fun. Difficult and extremely painful. It was my first ever breakup and I was going a little light on it. I underestimated it a bit in that respect," Wellens told Het Laatste Nieuws. "Some riders break their collarbone and are back in the saddle after about three days. But I was unable to do that.”
Filip Maciejuk lost control of his bike during the Ronde and Wellens was the first rider to go down in that situation. Many riders crashed but Wellens was one of the few who abandoned, suffering a fractured collarbone. It was a very unpleasant experience the following weeks, he explained: “Even when I got around to mobilizing again, it wasn't pleasant because I was afraid of doing something wrong.
"The worst is over, although I still feel it. When I dock over cobblestones, I lean more on my right hand than on my left so as not to have to absorb too many shocks there," he admits. "I also regularly go to the physiotherapist. From mid-May to the beginning of June, I go on altitude training to the Sierra Nevada with the team. Then I ride the Tour de Suisse. The goal is to make it to the Tour selection.”
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Wellens is now back on the bike and looks to, after some time off the bike, rebuild his form. He's teamed up with Tim Wellens on several occasions this season and the duo worked together, with the Belgian setting up explosive attacks too. UAE Team Emirates have finally built a very strong block to support the also currently-injured Pogacar at the Tour de France, so Wellens will need to show the form in order to be selected to the Grand Boucle.
On Bahrain-Victorious' Maciejuk, Wellens commented. “On social media he was dealt with harshly after the incident, his name was dragged through the mud. Of course the boy shouldn't have done that. But there was no malicious intent involved. The next day he sent me a very friendly message. That's enough for me. I certainly won't look at him angrily if I see him."
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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 think other competitors also had great Tours, so it wasn't that Ferrand-Prévot necessarily failed in some way - it's more likely that the other top riders lifted their game and maybe also a bit of luck with no crashes, etc. It's the Tour de France after all. It's not meant to be easy to defend your title (the few exceptions like Pogacar prove the rule).Pogboom01-11-2026
- maybe we should put our cv at the end of each comment post ... same rights for all of us!Ketterechts01-11-2026
- hahah literally all it is. Glad im not the only one noticing, essentially this is just a blog as it is now. Run buy boys from their bedroom hehe Their very subjective aswell, people on twitter even said their pure visma fanboys, if you listen to Ruben silva guy pre TDF this year all he said turned out to be wrong and constantly fail to realize visma isnt where they was before roster wice or means to contest even RBH or Lidl anymore, ,very biased ppl and when you run ''news articles that way its problematic..miguel01-11-2026
- The new joke of the year in 2027: "If both guys (Pogi and Seixas) finish upright on their bikes and both don't get sick for some reason, I think Paul will fight Tadej to the end and will possibly beat him in 2027 at the Tour, yes, I just said that." ... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...PogiSloFans01-11-2026
- Cutting his suit up and getting him to sign it while quite seriously injured is absolutely ghoulishwrsty01-11-2026
- 24 years old?Ketterechts01-11-2026
- Hey @frieder3, yeah sure, bull crap. What experience? You have no eyperience, you're an amateur cyclist... and to make things even worse, you're a lousy amateur cyclist. So what you're saying about your C7 has no relevance... do you even know where C7 is in your body? No, it's not in your knee!!! PS: Trump loves ya... 😍😍😍PogiSloFans01-11-2026
- He won't have a neck problem until he's older and arthritis kicks in lil guy !frieders301-11-2026
- Yep I find any way possible to not have other listen to Bob and VandeVelde commenting on a bike race. His annoying wrong predictions and irritating chuckle are mute worthy!frieders301-11-2026
- 20 winners for 3rd year in a row!Lozza31-10-2026
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