Is Pogacar aiming to lead La Vuelta from start to finish? "That could be something that he might target, just to make history in another way"
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar won the opening stage of the Vuelta a España and has been headlining the first few days of the Spanish Grand Tour. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Kieran Wood have discussed the World Champion's opening days in the race; as well as Ethan Hayter's performances over the opening days.
Pogacar wins opening time trial in Monaco
The first day of the race saw Pogacar take the win in a 9-kilometer long time trial at home in Anodrra. "It's one of the most interesting starts possible, I think, for the Vuelta," Wood argued. "But I think the Pogacar is the man in red. That's kind of got some people thinking already 'oh, here we go again'."
"That definitely was my reaction," Silva responded. "It's like 'oh come on, already? Like, let's let the other guys'. It has nothing to do with him, he will, of course, ride for it if he can. But it was like, already at this point?"
The Slovenian put on the red jersey this past Saturday, finishing the first stage of the race already in the leadership. Previously, he came close to leading the 2024 Giro d'Italia from start to finish, only missing the first day of the race. At this Vuelta, the seemingly unchallenged UAE leader appears to be in position to spend the three weeks in the race lead.
"I think that lure of potentially holding it from start to finish is something that he might go for," Wood believes. "Obviously, there's still quite tight gaps at the moment, but I think that could be something that he might target, just to make history in another way".
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Ethan Hayter's roller-coaster
But Pogacar was close to losing the red jersey, to Ethan Hayter on stage 2. The Briton joined the breakaway of the day and captured six seconds that put him in the provisional lead. However in the uphill dash to Manosque, Hayter was caught behind a split, and ended up being disappointed for a second day in a row.
"Watching in the UK, it's been a long-running thing with Ethan Hayter that he always sits at the back of the peloton, and the commentators are always telling him 'don't sit at the back of the peloton. If you crash, you get caught out', and then today, it's obviously caught him out badly, hasn't it, and cost him a chance at red".
Silva argued that over the past seasons, Hayter went from a sprinter and puncheur to a time trialist due to his difficulties positioning, comparing his current self with the 2021 Tour of Britain Hayter, in which he battled with Wout Van Aert and Julian Alaphilippe ahead of the World Championships.
"It feels like after 2023 or so, I'm not sure if this was because of a crash, if this was because of something specific, he lost the ability to position himself just completely, and he no longer... I mean, at this point, he can't be called a sprinter anymore. I don't see him sprinting at any point".
"In the classics, I don't see him anymore, and he's turned into a time trial specialist. It feels like he took those problems head-on, he just decided that riding in a peloton... 'This is very complicated for me, others are doing better. I'm going to focus on the time trial, because I still have the legs, and in a time trial, I don't need to fight for positioning'."
Hayter's success against the clock has improved, but on the road, the Soudal - Quick-Step rider has struggled to obtain results. "Last year, he won four or five time trials. Now he does this, he clearly has the legs, but there's something in there that just isn't clicking for Hayter".
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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