Ellen van Dijk had conquered the gold medal in the individual time-trial, and was seeking similar success today at the Mixed Relay TTT. Things went the wrong way from the very start however, as right in front of her, Annemiek van Vleuten crashed in the first meters of the race.
“I rode over something. I don't know what exactly, hopefully not about Annemiek," the individual time-trial World Champion said right after the race, where the Netherlands could not ride into a medal. "It seemed to me like she was pedaling through her gear, that the chain skipped. She clapped full on her steering wheel, so into the crush barriers…"
Van Vleuten took to Twitter to tell she believed it was a blown up front tire that caused her crash, which van Dijk could barely avoid - and has ridden over her compatriot's bike. With a medal at stake and a whole race ahead however, she had no option but to keep going. "Really had to reset myself afterwards, because I thought it was over. Until I realized that Riejanne and I still had to finish the time trial," she said.
Eventually the Netherlands found further bad luck as Bauke Mollema was sidelined after a mechanical problem, and the team could only manage fifth position. Away from the medals, van Dijk's priority was a different one: “The first thing I asked the soigneur was how Annemiek was doing. We just don't know yet, hopefully she's doing well."
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 had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
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😱 Terrible caída de Van Vleuten nada más tomar la salida 💥 La neerlandesa ha perdido el control de su bicicleta y ha sido retirada casi sin poder moverse #Wollongong2022
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