After once again destroying the race in the crosswinds, Quick-Step put themselves in prime position to take the stage win, but didn't manage to do so and didn't manage to get someone in the podium aswell.
Maxim Van Gils took the stage win on the queen stage of the Saudi Tour and is set to be the final winner of the race. He took advantage of an attack made in the strong winds of Saudi Arabia by the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team to distance himself from race leader Santiago Buitrago. Whilst the group was mostly made of rouleurs and sprinters, all the attention was on Quick-Step who had Andrea Bagioli as the man to beat for the stage win and Tim Declercq in a potentially strong position to fight for the GC win.
“The crosswinds made it very hard today, but the style of racing suited me, The climb wasn’t to my liking, but the stage until then was something different and I liked going on the offensive with the team as we split the peloton," Declercq said regarding the team plan for today.
“Andrea was strong and gave everything. While he was up the road, I remained in the chasing group and waited to see what would happen. I made a move with 200 meters to go, and even though it’s not the win we wanted, for me this podium is a good result, as I usually don’t have too many chances. I’m happy with my form, confident and ready to continue helping the team in the next races.”
Tim Declercq finished the stage in third place in the chasing group and has risen to 4th on the overall. A very strong performance from "the tractor" who usually is on domestique duties but found some freedom here, which he has every reason to be happy.
As for the team as a whole their possibilities were harmed by Andrea Bagioli's crash on the opening stage. Nevertheless he seemed to recover well, and was close to the win on both occasions but failed to get it, whilst Davide Ballerini has also failed to perform in the flat stages. They have however, one more day to try and make up for the relative lack of results in the Middle East.
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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