Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team began the Saudi Tour with big ambitions regarding the GC and stage wins but didn't acomplish neither. Nevertheless, there is a sense of satisfaction within the team.
It could be said it was the lack of pressure that meant there wouldn't be a major issue with a lack of a win in Saudi Arabia from Quick-Step, but things just didn't click into place it seemed. Despite being incredibly agressive, as always, in the crosswinds, the team didn't manage to capitalize on it.
“We tried our best this week. We attacked in the crosswinds, we put pressure on others, but we also had some bad luck when Andrea was involved in that opening day crash," Peeters said, referring to the bizare crash of Andrea Bagioli in the opening stage where he hit an unmarked road obstacle on a gravel road.
From there on, with the leader out of contention for the GC, the team still tried to set him up for the win in both hilly stages of the race, where he showed good legs after appearing to recover from the incident, but both times he came up just short of a win. Finishing second to Santiago Buitrago on the second day, then missing the wheel of overal winner Maxim Van Gils in the final meters of the climb on the queen stage, Bagioli hit the pole twice.
As for the rest of the team, Davide Ballerini didn't manage to start off the season as he did last year and his best result was a third place now late into the race on the final stage. Tim Declercq ended up being the rider who was the most successful, finishing 4th in the overall, but the team will likely wonder if he could have gotten a better result if they would have changed strategy.
"We stayed true to our mentality and fighting spirit, attacking every time it was possible. We didn’t get a victory, but we can be satisfied with our outing and the prize for the best team of the race”.
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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