Johan Bruyneel on what he thinks is Visma's problem: "They focus on so many small details that they lose the essence of cycling"
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike, like last year, are struggling at the spring classics. With Christophe Laporte out of action, Olav Kooij now injured, and Wout van Aert struggling with positioning the team is not getting the results it hopes for into the monuments. Johan Bruyneel expressed his opinion on the matter.
"Something is wrong at Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Things go wrong too often in the spring classics for us to draw that conclusion. They do well in other races, but in the classics it doesn't come out," he said in The Move podcast. "I don't know what it is. Personally, I think Wout van Aert should have been at the start of Gent-Wevelgem."
The team has notably struggled with positioning, besides the notable issues with injuries and illnesses which has been once again hindering it's performances. However, the Belgian pundit believes that there is a clear problem with the Dutch team's plan which sees things go wrong rather quick.
"They have a plan that they don't deviate from under any circumstances. They are unable to adapt to the circumstances. I see that with more teams," he argues.
"At Visma, they are very rigid and the focus is on the plan and the small things. The extremely short 150 cranks are an example of that (he refers to Jonas Vingegaard, ed.). They focus on so many small details that they lose the essence of cycling."
On the opposite side, he looks towards the attacking traits of Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen: "Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek are the opposite of that. They also look at the details, but they race and adapt to the circumstances. Visma can't do that. Normally they should be among the three dominant teams in these races and that is not the case now."
The main goal of Wout van Aert is, as has been said from the start, the cobbled monuments, so there is still room for improvement, but Bruyneel has a hard time seeing how Wout van Aert will match his rivals. "It will not be easy in the big monuments that are coming up. Miracles do not exist in cycling".
"Jorgenson and Van Aert are the big men at Visma and I do not believe that they will reach the level of Van der Poel, Pogacar, Ganna and Pedersen in Flanders and Roubaix. Van Aert simply does not have the legs at the moment. A Van Aert in top form would always have corrected the situation after the Taaienberg in the E3."
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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