"It's more comfortable to defend it then to have to attack" - Remco Evenepoel in the 'perfect' position after UAE time trial win
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel was expected to win at the UAE Tour's time trial however he didn't expect to put in such large time gaps on his rivals perhaps, taking into consideration that the riders had only 12 kilometers on the menu. He is now in the race lead and has the space to race more conservatively if he so desires.
"It was pretty quick, the course completely flat, not super technical so it was the perfect course to try and ride that fast. Pretty happy to have done that today," the Belgian said in a post-race interview.
With a 56.1Km/h average, it was an incredibly fast time trial victory, the fastest of his career. After Isaac del Toro won the opening sprint stage to Liwa Palace, the two already entered the time trial with 10 seconds between each other, and Evenepoel had to recover them today. He did so quickly, and already had more than 30 seconds over the Mexican by the time the riders reached the intermediate point.
And at the finish line he took what was his first individual stage win at the race. "Little bit because we won the TTT in 2023 and then I was twice second in the uphill finishes so it's a good feeling to take my first individual stage win in the UAE Tour".
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42 seconds over Del Toro
The gap to Del Toro: 42 seconds; Over 3 seconds per kilometer. "i think he did the maximum he could. Of course we knew that it was going to be a bit better to start early, but he won yesterday, I won today... So I think we both have a stage win in our pockets and no-one has any regrets, and from now on it's going to be the GC battle that will be open".
The gap into the Jebel Mobrah stage will be of 32 seconds already, a meaningful gap which, despite the tough course, is not easy to recover in normal circumstances to a rider such as Evenepoel - specially with the form he has been showing throughout the past few weeks.
This puts him in an ideal position, where he can play his cards conservatively, also taking into consideration that Del Toro should be the only rider in regular conditions to be at the same level as him uphill. "Specially with the very hard climbs, it's more comfortable to defend it then to have to attack so I think this is the perfect situation for us, perfect scenario, and now we have to defend it until Sunday".
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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- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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