Jan Hirt has been one of the revelations of the Giro d'Italia. A well established climber, however his consistency and bravery have earned him a spot amongst the best, after a race where Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux thrived.
"It was a dream to win a stage in the Giro. I didn't only make this dream come true, I also finished sixth in the general classification. I rode the race of my life, that's for sure," Hirt confirmed after finishing the Giro d'Italia in sixth place, perhaps the most important result of his career.
I was very concentrated for this time trial. Thanks to my good performance, I finish this Giro only 26 seconds down on fourth place. Not many Czech riders achieved this before me, so I hope that I inspired some compatriots to start riding a bike," he added.
Hirt didn't initially come to the Giro as a contender for the overall classification, however with his consistency in the first two weeks, he managed to ride himself into 12th place which would already be a decent result, and bring in important points for the team. However, it was in the final week that the Czech turned his race around, and it all started with a glorious win in Aprica where he joined the breakaway, took the stage win and climbed to ninth place. The next day he joined the break once again and climbed to seventh.
With João Almeida's abandon, the 31-year old ascended to sixth place where he stayed until Verona. An incredible result for a rider who hadn't shown many signs of being a Grand Tour contender, however it all clicked into place - as has been the case with other riders from Intermarché who are riding an overwhelmingly positive season.
"Last year, I rediscovered my love for cycling within Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert and that's the key to my success. It is important to be surrounded by the right people," Hirt pointed out. "A good and nice environment facilitates the road to success. I don't dare to think about the next step, about what I'm capable of, but those 26 seconds motivate me a lot to come back for more next season," he concluded.
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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HEROES! IWG place two riders in the final classification of the #Giro after Jan Hirt (6th) & Domenico Pozzovivo (8th) sealed their places in the closing time trial! 👏👏👏
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