Mathieu van der Poel acknowledges imminent struggles: "E3 is going to be tough, with the wind and the rain"
Cycling
After winning Milan-San Remo, Mathieu van der Poel returns to race the E3 Saxo Bank Classic today with the idea of taking another victory in a very different race where the weather conditions will be decisive.
"Yes, we are proud of what we did as a team in San Remo, but today is a different race, San Remo is something special, the E3 is going to be tough, with the wind and the rain, it's going to be tough," van der Poel told CyclingPro.net this morning at the start in Harelbeke.
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The Dutchman was questioned about the rivals he fought with in San Remo, but Mathieu believes that in this race, because of its characteristics, there will be many more: "Today there will be more riders who will be ahead at the end of the race, as I said it's a different race, we are starting from scratch".
The Dutchman will be one of the main favourites, alongside Tadej Pogacar and several riders of Jumbo-Visma. It'll be a tough challenge, but the most similar to the Tour des Flandres where he will look to defend his title. "I've only raced here once but it's like a little Flanders but even harder because all the critical sectors take place very quickly, which makes it so hard," he concluded.
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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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After our wins in @Milano_Sanremo 🇮🇹 and @bruggedepanne 🇧🇪, we look ahead to @E3SaxoClassic 🇧🇪 with confidence. This is our line-up for a tough day in the saddle with lots of cobblestones and steep climbs 🤘💙 #AlpecinDeceuninck
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