"I never thought I could fight with Tadej" - Pogacar is Jonathan Milan's main rival for Tour de France green jersey
Cycling
The points classification every year is battled amongst the strongest sprinters in the peloton. In 2025, a climber is in the middle of the battle even though he is not even focusing on it: Tadej Pogacar. Jonathan Milan considers the yellow jersey his main rival.
After stage 14, with almost 5000 climbing meters, the Italian powerhouse commented on his feelings to QuiBiciSport: "It was very tough, but I took the points and tried to go it alone. It wasn't a great idea, and I hoped someone would follow me, but nothing. Like every day, I tried to survive."
Milan entered stage 15 of the Tour with 251 points whilst Pogacar sits second with 223. Pogacar has not ridden for points in any intermediate sprints in this race, unlike Milan who is currently leading the classification in them. "I never thought I could fight with Tadej, but at this point I'll do my best in every sprint and for every point."
Lidl-Trek has even worked to keep the peloton together until intermediate sprints on some occasions as their main rival stopped being Biniam Girmay, but a rider they knew wouldn't take part in it, and so they could seize the opportunity. With only one pure sprint stage (17 into Valence) left, Milan doesn't have the opportunity to gather many points.
Pogacar, without even trying, is creeping in on Milan due to his performance in the mountainous days, the hilly ones and also the time-trials. Equally, Pogacar sits second in the KOM classification only 8 points behind Lenny Martínez even though he is not trying to compete for the classification. The Tour's point system wildly favours the GC riders in this classification.
Milan also laments the team's loss of Mattias Skjelmose who was now going to be chasing stage wins in the mountains, but abandoned after an early crash on Saturday. "Unfortunately, we lost Mattias. I hope he's not too ill; we'll miss him in the coming days. He was fine and was trying to join the frontrunners because it could have been a milestone for him, as could those to come."
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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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- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
- Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to one and I respect yours! Nothing wrong with being a one week and GT guy if that’s his vibemij07-11-2026
- LOL...it's a predetermined finish ! N one is 'clashing' at these exhibition crits!frieders307-11-2026
- Surely the UCI and the race organisers have a responsibility to ensure the best medical care is available to riders when incidents like this happen. All very well pushing for global expansion but not so good if riders lives are put at risk because medical support is not up to scratch.Andy12306-11-2026
- Well it clearly helps that this was Pidcock's own car, no?Occam06-11-2026
- The American performance at the World's road race was a masterclass in cycling tactics. If it wasn't McNulty, it might well have been Jorgensen or Simmons to take off and win in a solo break.Occam06-11-2026
- What a gimmick
Rafionain-Glas06-11-2026 - Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
- He seems to be the rare athlete whose passion and curiosity about life beyond his sport equals his extraordinary achievements in it. It would be great for him to risk less of that life. He seems very grateful and joyful for what he has already attained.
MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
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