Johan Museeuw: "It is a pity that we have to talk negatively about a great champion like Wout van Aert"
Cycling
Johan Museeuw is a rider that lives and breathes cycling, and is part of Belgian history. His compatriot Wout van Aert is part of the same list, albeit perhaps on a smaller level, and Museeuw laments that over the past years the Belgian wasn't able to match the evolution of Mathieu van der Poel.
"Mathieu has improved a bit. And at the same time he has retained his explosiveness. It is a pity that we have to talk negatively about a great champion like Wout van Aert, but Wout has lost his explosiveness," Museeuw said in the Vals Plat podcast. "You could already see that in the cross in the winter."
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider over the past two years has largely avoided injuries and illnesses, and has continued to evolve not only in cyclocross but the road. At this point, the Dutchman already has seven monuments in his palmarès and continues to build it in impressive fashion.
"I don't know. Mathieu has made the move to Spain and trains a lot there on long intervals. That is also possible there. Mathieu has always been the rider of: in the lactate up and within a few seconds he can do that again. He has always trained for that," he argues. "In the past with the novices and juniors. Then his father had him do sprints of ten seconds. Mathieu has only further sharpened that. It is also the art of a rider to become even better at what you are already good at."
Van der Poel recently won Milano-Sanremo ahead of Tadej Pogacar, and a few days later decimated the in-form Mads Pedersen and Filippo Ganna at the E3 Saxo Classic. If he has the same legs, he is the one rider that should be capable of matching or beating Pogacar at the Tour of Flanders. Van Aert's form has improved, but seeing him win in Flanders seems a very distant objective.
"In the past, sprinters have trained more uphill, like Alessandro Petacchi. He rode uphill every day, but his sprint was blunted. I think you have to become better at what you are very good at. Mathieu has become a little better for me because of everything together. Quiet life in Spain, doing a lot of kilometers..."
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😳 Wout van Aert's knee from previous crashes and injuries...
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 3, 2025
The man is a warrior 💪 pic.twitter.com/3qcdP18COU
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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