Nathan van Hooydonck: "Anyone who wants to beat Pogacar will have to put pressure on his team"
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar is the man to beat at Strade Bianche today, despite starting his season in the brutal gravel race. Nathan van Hooydonck stands by the idea that the Slovenian will be in great form and looks into how he can be beaten.
“It may be Pogacar's first race, but I do not rule out that he will, if possible, be even better than at the start of the season in recent years," van Hooydonck wrote for Het Nieuwsblad. "Then he was always in a long run-up to the Tour. Today he will be in full preparation for the Giro. And we in Flanders, with all our classics, may think that that is still a long way off, but for a tour rider, two months is really not much.”
The route was made tougher this year with an added loop and a few more gravel sectors that will make it an even harder race, which could benefit climbers as it features difficult sectors. However the race can be decided with the decisions of early on: “While in the Strade Pidcock has the immense advantage of his helmsmanship. Compared to the competition, he can save an enormous amount of energy in the first part of the race."
"He races at the front, never has to brake and knows perfectly what his bike can do and what the surface does to that bike. He is so 'in control'," van Hooydonck said of the defending champion. "That, plus the fact that it is already a week further, will be the big difference with the Omloop where, admittedly, he did not leave a super impression."
“With the return of Pogacar, I expect a completely different UAE than last week in the Omloop and Kuurne. It continues to amaze me how such a strong team without Pogacar hangs together like loose sand. Individually they are super strong riders, but sometimes there seems to be so little plan," the Belgian adds. "Last week again: Wellens is allowed to do his thing, Politt gets his chance, young Morgado almost rides among them, and three of the remaining four did not make it to the finish. It's all so confusing.”
He says how he believes other teams can try to take over the race and Pogacar: “With Pogacar there it is completely different. UAE will soon have a prominent presence. That will also determine the opponent's tactics. Anyone who wants to beat Pogacar will have to put pressure on his team. By sending a man along, by opening up the race early enough... That is my advice to Pidcock: let UAE work and in the meantime focus fully on Pogacar."
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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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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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🚀The men's race has also begun, 215 KM to go for them! #StradeBianche
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