No disappointment but happiness for Wout van Aert after coming close to Tour win: "Somehow I regained my confidence in the race"
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike had quite an interesting first day at the Tour de France. Juan Ayuso's difficulties meant UAE Team Emirates postponed their attempt to put Jonas Vingegaard into difficulties; and in the end Wout van Aert would've likely won the stage and taken the yellow jersey if it wasn't for the daring attack of Romain Bardet. But nevertheless, the Belgian is happy to have made his presence felt back in the front of a race.
“This was a successful test. I never expected this, I am super happy with this. I just felt good today, and as it was, I had a chance to win a stage," van Aert told Sporza after the stage. "Somehow I regained my confidence in the race. There are still two strong riders ahead, who are also teammates. Then you know that they are going to ride head to head. Hats off to them, there was not much more we could do, so we are satisfied.”
Van Aert showed himself in much better form than a month ago at the Tour of Norway and comfortably survived the several climbs and extreme heat that was felt on the day. He was one of the very few riders who could sprint that did so, and so in the final hour of racing became a true candidate for the win specially as Visma took control of the peloton. The Dutch team had the support of others in the final kilometers as a sprint seemed possible, even likely, but DSM duo of Bardet and Frank van den Broek denied them the fight for victory.
Behind van Aert won the sprint, but for third place. Seemingly a deja vu to last year's second stage in San Sebastián... But this time van Aert was not angry with the result in the sheet, but instead quite happy with the form he's shown on the first day of the race.
“We completely changed the switch on the last climb, that was no longer the most difficult. We were also riding beforehand to keep the gap limited, but we had to let the other teams help to close the gap. After the last climb, control was quickly regained," he said. He should have other opportunities in the race, although not many will come in this opening week.
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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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🇫🇷 #TDF2024 It's third place for Wout in a tough opener of the Tour. 🥵
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