"I hope that the team is a bit better in the Tour" - Patrick Lefevere worries about how exposed Remco Evenepoel was in Dauphiné mountains
Cycling
Patrick Lefevere, in his weekly Het Nieuwsblad column, has talked about the direct events of the previous day. On stage 6 of the Criterium du Dauphiné, Remco Evenepoel was in the yellow jersey but completely isolated in the key moments of the race against Visma and UAE.
“I partly expected that Remco would not be able to compete with the superior force in the first mountain stage of the Dauphiné. He did say that the crash was not that bad, but images surfaced a day later and it looked pretty serious," the former Soudal - Quick-Step manager said.
Whilst it was not a critical situation, the Giro d'Italia's queen stage for example was a firm reminder of how important depth can be in the big stage-races. "He also had no teammates with him quite quickly, but I don’t think that would have made a difference. I hope that the team is a bit better in the Tour.”
With Mikel Landa sidelined and Louis Vervaeke uncertain for the Grand Boucle, even with the addition of Valentin Paret-Peintre the team is going to be a few steps below the rival teams. Visma and UAE directly clashed whilst the yellow jersey was alone quite a lot. Although Evenepoel isn't expected to win the Tour, if he found himself in a position to do so, this would be a huge vulnerability.
“Guys like Schachmann and Paret-Peintre will improve, they have come a long way. The epilepsy is right in the team. It doesn’t stop, with Louis Vervaeke dropping out now. But there are still more than three weeks before the Tour, right? We can still make adjustments where necessary, also with Remco," the veteran concluded. In the meantime Ilan van Wilder will be leading the team at the Tour de Suisse, and can later on provide more firepower for the Belgian team.
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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