"Racing is not a PlayStation" - Matxin understands that Mathieu van der Poel was too strong for even Pogacar to drop in Sanremo
Cycling
UAE Team Emirates - XRG planned and delivered a magnificent Milano - Sanremo. Although the expectations were very high and the chances of executing a plan to perfection were low, they did their job right in setting up Tadej Pogacar to attack up the Cipressa. It wasn't ultimately enough to win the race, but manager Joxean Matxin is still proud of how the attack was executed.
"The past three editions we had tried it on the Poggio each time. It was high time to change that protocol", Matxin said in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. "Isaac [Del Toro] who took over completely, Tadej attacked and Narvaéz who would stop and protect: that's what we had in mind. Unfortunately, Del Toro had a positioning problem. He was too far back. Which meant we had to change gears."
After moving in the Poggio didn't work in recent years, the focus changed to the penultimate climb of the day. It proved to be the correct decision: "The Cipressa lent itself to throwing all the fast men overboard. More so than the Poggio, where you can't easily achieve that with barely five minutes of climbing. You can't ride away sprinters with power and substance there. Then you take them to the finish and you get a completely different scenario."
Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez did a stellar job for around 4 minutes at the entrance of the Poggio, themselves splitting the field to only a few dozen riders before the rainbow jersey himself went all-out to try and win the race solo. If it weren't for an incredibly resilient Mathieu van der Poel, he might just have succeeded.
"Racing is not a PlayStation. It didn't surprise me at all that Van der Poel hung on. He's a different type of rider than Tadej. A little less of a climber, but more explosive. You can safely put the two at the same height."
Lastly the Spaniard was asked once again about Pogacar's possible Paris-Roubaix presence, but the answer at this point has almost become the same daily which was not to his delight. "Don't ask me again if he's going to ride Paris-Roubaix, please. The fact is that both Tadej and Mathieu are even more suited for those kinds of races. Van der Poel is a real 'crack' on those hills and cobblestones. So it won't be easy for us there either."
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🔻 Breathtaking. Possibly the greatest 1000m we've seen on la Via Roma.
— Milano Sanremo (@Milano_Sanremo) March 22, 2025
🔻 Mozzafiato. Forse il più grande 1000m che abbiamo visto sulla Via Roma.
⏪ The @continentaltire Ultimo Kilometro ⤵️#MilanoSanremo presented by @CA_Ita pic.twitter.com/u6E2ZMt5ZX
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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- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
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- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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