"I've had a difficult year, so I can be happy" - Christophe Laporte feeling like a pro rider once again after brutal 2025
Cycling
Christophe Laporte was diagnosed with a cytomegalovirus this year and the Frenchman ended up becoming one of the riders with the least amount of racing in the World Tour. The Frenchman only began his season in mid August, missing the entire spring classics campaign and Tour de France as he was originally planned to. However this Tuesday he got good news as for the first time since starting his season he was in contention for a victory, finishing yesterday's Binche - Chimay - Binche in third place.
"It's been a long time since I've been on the podium. The last time was last season. I've had a difficult year, so I can be happy that I could compete for the win here," Laporte shared with Sporza in a post-race interview. "Although there's also a bit of disappointment when you come so close to victory. I struggled to find my footing and was a bit blocked in the final few kilometers. I can be happy with my feeling and the result. Although, of course, you'd rather win."
Laporte is still racnig Paris-Tours this weekend where he is the reigning champion and also the new Tour of Holland, so there is hope that he may still obtain a victory before the end of the season. “This was a very fast race. It took almost eighty kilometers before a breakaway could even open a gap," team DS Marteen Wynants said. "We managed to anticipate, because we sent Victor (Campenaerts, ed.) and Niklas (Behrens, ed.) into some breakaways.”
“At one point in the race, we decided to go all-out for the sprint. The team handled that well. Christophe picked a good wheel in the final stages, but briefly lost contact and therefore his momentum. Third place is a good result, but with a bit more luck, we might have achieved even more. All in all, we had a good day today.”
Nils Eekhoff surprises himself
After Jordi Meeus crossed the line, it was Team Picnic PostNL's Nils Eekhoff who took the runner-up position. The Dutchman benefited from the fast racing all day that saw several sprinters struggle and not be part of the final sprint.
"It was a fast race that never really slowed down. Groups were constantly breaking away, and that made it a tough day. The guys did a really good job of controlling the race," the Dutchman said in his team website. "Even on the local laps, they kept me well in front and out of trouble, so I didn't have to waste too much energy."
"I felt strong and was confident going into this finish. In the end, I started my sprint just a little too late to compete for the win, but I'm happy to be back on the podium after a long time."
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- 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
Loading
Write a comment