"Matthew is our best chance of victory" - Wout van Aert willingly sacrifices Deutschland Tour stage win chances for 20-year old teammate
Cycling
Wout van Aert is a very strong rider in his own right, Giro and Tour stage winner this year alongside fourth in Flanders and Roubaix, but it's his willingness to work as a domestique that sets him apart from other big leaders. At the Deutschland Tour, he's working for upcoming star Matthew Brennan for the first time.
The Belgian, building up towards the Canadian classics which will be his final goals of the road season, has done very important work this year for Simon Yates and Jonas Vingegaard in the sprints, and in the past also became a key leadout man for Olav Kooij. Not having his peak form yet, he's spent this Deutschland Tour in a mix of trying his own chances and working for Matthew Brennan.
On stage 3, he closed down the late attack of Soren Waerenskjold and led the front group out into the final sprint to help his British teammate fight for victory - only for Brennan to be closed by Danny van Poppel, who was relegated because of the move.
"I noticed on Friday that I might have one good shot, but that's not enough to be with him for the entire final. That's why Matthew is our best chance of victory. It's logical that we're focusing on him," van Aert said in words to Het Nieuwsblad.
With the likes of Jonathan Milan, Jordi Meeus and other quality sprinters, the German race has a stronger sprint field than the World Tour-ranked Vuelta a España or Renewi Tour that are also taking place, but the Team Visma | Lease a Bike duo still have the chance to take one more stage win: "On paper, it's the easiest stage there is. Normally, it always ends up being a sprint. It'll be more challenging than the past few days. I'll need my cartridge to launch Matthew,"
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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- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
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- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
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