Iuri Leitão focuses on Olympic Games and dreams of Grand Tour debut: "Taking another step will be a goal"
Cycling
The 25-year-old Caja Rural- Seguros RGA rider has a contract with the Spanish team until 2025 and was in the spotlight in the last edition of the Volta ao Alentejo, where he rode in the leader's jersey, took two second places, a fourth and finally closed out the decisive stage of the Alentejo with a victory.
"I realized that I entered the road season in good shape. The others came with more competitive experience, as they had done the Volta ao Algarve and other races. "It was better than I expected," he confessed in an interview with the sports newspaper O Jogo.
Although Iuri Leitão wore the leader's jersey, he was seen at the front of the peloton commanding the troops "The overall wasn't for me. The hardest stage was a selection and I was aware of my difficulties. The team had more options and that day was about working for my colleagues. It wasn't the first time I'd worked in the yellow jersey. I'm used to it, I'm happy to do it and I assume that the yellow jersey isn't a rank, it's just a symbol".
Of the huge Portuguese contingent in the international peloton, only António Morgado and Iuri Leitão have yet to make their debut in a Grand Tour, but while in Morgado's case it's understandable and will only be a matter of time, as he only joined the World Tour peloton this year with UAE Team Emirates.
The task of being able to take part in one of the three GTs is more complicated for Iuri: "Racing a Grand Tour isn't in my reckoning yet. Unfortunately, Caja Rural wasn't invited to this year's Vuelta a España, which would have been my only chance," but the young sprinter is not worried about this, but he is ambitious: "Who knows in the future. I've evolved a lot in these three years with Caja Rural and, if I continue to do so, taking another step will be a goal."
In addition to the Olympic Games, where he hopes to be present but he actually has tough competition in the UAE Team Emirates' Oliveira twins: "...The coach doesn't give us any [clues]" to who will be selected however. He will also be present at the Tour of Turkey in April and the Tour of Greece in May.
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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.
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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)...
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- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
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- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
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Iúri Leitão dá nome português ao domínio da Caja Rural - Seguros RGA; Eduard Prades vence a Volta ao Alentejo! Tudo sobre a 5ª etapa da Volta ao Alentejo ⬇️
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