INTERVIEW | UAE's Matxin on who can be the Giro winner: "The main goal is to win the Giro d'Italia, independent of the situation of the race"
Cycling
The second rest day of the Giro d'Italia is a day to rest and reaccess the race situation. For UAE Team Emirates - XRG, it is a position of luxury, however also one that is difficult to manage. In a press conference that featured Juan Ayuso, Isaac del Toro and team manager Joxean Matxín, we have asked what the team thinks of it's current situation.
"In the moment the situation is perfect, it's up for other riders to attack and we play to defend," Matxín answered to CyclingUpToDate. "After the time-trial, we will understand what is the real situation, the other rivals and contenders for the overall classification at that moment. It's a good situation for us".
The demand for personal questions regarding Del Toro and Ayuso's relationship and any potential internal issues that may arise in the team was natural, however it is quite clear that the team is working 24/7 not only to manage those, but also to prevent the spread of rumours throughout social media and news outlets.
After stage 9 of the race, Isaac del Toro has taken over the race lead and carries over a minute of lead over Juan Ayuso who is now second. The Spaniard required stitches on a knee after a crash this Sunday, but was very well supported by both Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates who not only survived the treacherous conditions of the gravel roads, but with their performance both gained positions on rivals including Primoz Roglic himself.
With a tricky second week and a very fragile BORA, it is fully viable that UAE can decie to continue attacking whilst they have many cards for the overall classification, at a period where Roglic's support is almost exclusively based on Giulio Pellizzari during these last few days.
Matxin however would not confirm if the team is looking to use both McNulty and Yates as potential victory or podium candidates, instead focusing on the bigger picture. "The main goal is to win the Giro d'Italia, independent of the situation of the race and independent of the moment that the race is decided".
"For example yesterday pull all race to maintain the gap in respect of the main rival Roglic; Ayuso, Brandon and Adam Yates... For this the mission is to continue the mission of winning the Giro d'Italia". The GC shouldn't change too much for the Emirati team after the time-trial to Pisa this Tuesday, but it will be interesting to see which tactics will be deployed once the high mountain stages begin.
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 did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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