"I now show that I can also win man against man" - Wout van Aert breaks mental barrier to conquer heavily fought E3 Saxo Classic
Cycling
It was a dramatic and explosive day over in Flandres today, as the bergs of the E3 Saxo Classic saw Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar battle over them. Van Aert came through with the win in the end, and was very happy to have managed to beat the competition today.
The race opened up very early on as with 80 kilometers to go van der Poel launched his first attack. He and Pogacar dealt several blows throughout the afternoon in many different climbs, but van Aert always had the watts to match them. A race of intelligence, the Jumbo-Visma rider suffered on the climbs but didn't risk an early attack and tried to keep as much energy for the sprint as possible once he realized that was possible.
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“I was on the limit on the Kwaremont. I had to watch out for the steep part, but I was still able to catch up. I think Mathieu and Tadej looked at each other for a moment," he tells in a post-race interview. "After that I had a hard time again, but I kept concentrating on that last sprint.”
It wasn't the best of days for the Dutch team, with Laporte and van Baarle not performing at the expected level, whilst Tiesj Benoot abandoned the race early on. However as he flew through the climbs, he had a sprint on the table. In the past he was beaten by both of his competitors, but not this time around. “At about 250 meters, I think. I knew that a short sprint was not in my favor. I learned from the past," the Belgian continued.
In what was his first cobbled classic of the season, van Aert has proved his level and form. In a course similar to that of the Tour des Flandres, van Aert has asserted himself. “It's important, I must say. Just because I like to win. The past few weeks have not always been easy, so winning like this is nice again. I now show that I can also win man against man," he concluded.
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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🇧🇪 #E3SaxoClassic Enjoying these moments. What a crowd. 🤩
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