Not Jonas Vingegaard or Mathieu van der Poel, Adrie van der Poel believes Velo d'Or winner was clear: "Tadej Pogacar should have won that prize"
Cycling
There was a lot of questioning over the voting at the Velo d'Or. Whilst having a great season, many disagreed that Jonas Vingegaard was the star rider of the season. Adrie van der Poel is one of them, and he believes the award should've fallen into the hands of Tadej Pogacar.
The votes were given by journalists world-wide, both independent and from notable news sources. Still it came as a shock to many fans - upon revealing - that several did not feature Mathieu van der Poel or Tadej Pogacar in their Top5 despite incredibly strong and successful seasons. Ultimately it was the consistency of votes towards Jonas Vingegaard which earned him the win, as the World Champion gathered more first place votes from the voters.
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However Mathieu's father wasn't subjective and tells who he believes should've won: "Not Mathieu, but Tadej Pogacar should have won that prize. Paris-Nice, Tour of Flanders, second in the Tour, Il Lombardia. Yes, guys," Adrie van der Poel shared with Het Nieuwsblad. "But look at the honors list of the Vélo d'Or: there are not many riders on it who have not won the Tour."
"What a season. I don't wear a hat or a sweater, but I am a fan," José de Cauwer replied. "Although I will say: I am revising my opinion about Vingegaard. I thought that figure was rather flat, but winning the Tour two years in a row and this year also the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour of the Basque Country and coming second in the Vuelta a España."
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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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🏆 Tadej Pogacar wins the 2023 Tour de France Saitama Criterium 💪 #SaitamaCriterium @TamauPogi
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