“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have to get used to giving instructions to Wout van Aert" - Visma DS on guiding legends and earning Grand Tour wins
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike is one of the top teams in the peloton and alongside the sports director role comes a lot of responsibility and pressure. Jesper Morkov has thrived in this role this year guiding the team to both its Grand Tour wins despite being around the same age as several of the team's riders.
In words to DR Sporten the Dane shared details on the Vuelta a España. Early on in the race there were barely no differences, but on stage 9 to Estacion de Valdezcaray Vingegaard attacked early in the climb, creating a difference to João Almeida which then allowed the team to race with a different strategy. And with an illness that developed during the race, conservative racing became the priority when the queen stages began.
“Jonas had his eye on the Angliru stage. But on the day, he told me he wasn’t feeling great, so we had to switch to a more defensive plan," Morkov explained. "It wasn’t about winning anymore, but about not losing time.” He ultimately rode in the wheel of Almeida in the entire final kilometers but then lost in the downhill sprint.
However ultimately, Vingegaard rode in the end to the overall win, the same feat the team achieved at the Giro d'Italia with Simon Yates where Morkov was behind the wheel. At age 37, which wouldn't even have him as the oldest in the team if he was a rider, he's managed to prove himself as a quality sports director worthy of being in a top team.
“Of course I wondered if Visma might be a bit too high a level for me. But I rolled up my sleeves and showed that it’s not about your résumé. When you succeed in both the Giro and the Vuelta, and when you help a young rider like Matthew Brennan achieve 12 wins in his first pro season, that gives you confidence," he admits.
But it did for a while feel odd to guide around legends of the sport such as Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have to get used to giving instructions to Wout van Aert. He’s one of the biggest stars in the sport, so the idea that I, with my modest CV, would give him advice on how to ride a finale, that took some getting used to.”
However, he feels like he is a good fit for the team, and with Vingegaard being Danish, Morkov is a worthy asset to collaborate with. “It sounds banal, but it’s incredibly relaxing to have someone to speak Danish with. It makes it easier to talk about other things than cycling, there’s a comfort in using your mother tongue.”
“Within the team, I can feel more respect, or maybe that’s saying too much, but there’s no doubt that the results I’ve been part of this year have strengthened my position.” However it is difficult to say he will be the man to guide the team at the Tour de France. “Right now, I’m just taking things as they come. This is the dream job I never dreamed of, because I never thought it was possible.”
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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