"Racing with Mathieu almost feels like a privilege" - Silvan Dillier on teaming up with Van der Poel at spring classics
Cycling
Silvan Dillier was in his heyday a strong classics rider who almost won Paris-Roubaix and led AG2R in the cobbled classics. He was signed to be part of Alpecin-Deceuninck's block for these races and the collaboration has been almost ideal for both.
“A good culture has emerged within Alpecin-Deceuninck in that area, Partly thanks to the team leaders," Dillier said in an interview with RIDE Magazine. "They monitor the balance between emotion and reason. They also often take away negativity, if it already exists after a failed race. It is not the end of the world. There is always the next race. That's what this team is really good at. That's why we mainly talk about other things on the bus after a race, rather than points for improvement.”
The Swiss rider joined Alpecin in 2021 and ever since was part of several monument victories. This year he will once again be there next to van der Poel, but also very strong riders such as Jasper Philipsen, Kaden Groves and Soren Kragh Andersen who will each seek results in a collective that has proven to be very impressive.
“Even if he doesn't win, he often still does the podium ceremony. I find it difficult to say that he is better than ever. Mathieu only made a mess of it in Benidorm. But that this spring will be just as boring and predictable as cross winter? No, other riders don't sit still either. I expect a super high level and wonderful races again.”
Read also
The 33-year old will be a domestique for van der Poel and Philipsen at Milano-Sanremo this Saturday where the team will seek their first monument win of the season. They may, and Dillier is happy with the collective around him: "And to be honest, racing with Mathieu almost feels like a privilege. I see it as an opportunity to ride in one team with one of the talents of the century and especially not against him."
"It gives me extra motivation that Van der Poel is our leader. If you have someone in the team who has great potential to win a race, it gives a different kind of morale than when you know that fifth place is the maximum possible. I see that feeling and this work as a privilege," he concluded.
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- When Thomas gets the bullet from INEOS he can get a job as a comedian.
Senna196013-11-2026 - Right on. The more the merrier.Occam13-11-2026
- Remember, Del Toro struggled in this Tour. He is great, no doubt about that, but comparing him to a four time gt winner is absurd at this point. He has the potential. We'll have to see how he develops.awp13-11-2026
- what did Jonas gift and to whom? just curious, haven’t heard about this.mij13-11-2026
- You don't gift grand tours as it has come to light that Jonas has come to regret doing such.
Front24213-11-2026 - Exactly you said it urslf - he outclimbed del toro by 19 sec. 19SEC and you say hes alot better than del toro still lol? And can also do the same where del toro did that to jonas even and del toro dauphine numbers better than jonas all year so why this hard whats the issue its super easy stuff - del toro wasnt that before. Then factor in both their trajectory the last years and the answer is self explonatory like i said. Nothing against jonas like many do but the typing is no the wall and so stupidly easy as its so self explanatory now. Have a good daymiguel13-11-2026
- Dirty ex doperFront24213-11-2026
- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
- Ah, seems he’s been busy elsewhere! 😆Lozza13-11-2026
- Where is he when you need him!? Wake up man! You’re missing an opportunity!Lozza13-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment