Mathieu van der Poel: "I got myself an extra day in pink, so I think I can be very happy with this"
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel fulfilled the task of defending the pink jersey in the second stage of the Giro d'Italia, putting in a strong performance in the time-trial which has almost seen him take a second stage win.
"I think I did a very good time trial. Of course the difference with the winner was quite small, but I got myself an extra day in pink, so I think I can be very happy with this," van der Poel said at the end of his effort. Having won the opening stage yesterday, the Alpecin-Fenix rider started the time-trial in pink, and managed to keep it in the explosive time-trial in Budapest. Without many specialists and a suiting route, it was no surprise to see the Dutchman battle for the stage win, but that briefly eluded him by three seconds as Simon Yates blasted through the course.
"I knew I had to have something left over from the last climb. Obviously, if the difference is three seconds, you start thinking about where you left that, but I think I can be very happy overall. It was a very difficult time trial. There were some corners, but they were quite fast, and it wasn't easy to make a difference there," van der Poel concluded.
Perhaps most importantly, his lead in the points classification grew further and may became a goal of his. Besides carrying the pink jersey, which he will likely struggle to defend on the slopes of the Etna volcano, there are many paths which he may chase throughout the race because of the impressive start to it.
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.
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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)...
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Pink rocket! 🚀 Definetely one of the most exciting time trials in the existence of our team. An outstanding TT-performance of @mathieuvanderpoel lead to a second place and another day in the Maglia Rosa 💞 #AlpecinFenix #Giro #Giro105 #MVDP 📷 Photonews / Mr Pinko
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