Robbie McEwen on Giro's stage 7: "I’ve got to be honest, that was a yawnfest back in the peloton"
Cycling
Many were the fans and analysts that were disappointed with the lack of spectacle on the Giro d'Italia's seventh stage. Robbie McEwen was one of them, as he looked into what happened on the day that saw the overall classification remain exactly the same towards the front.
“I’ve got to be honest, that was a yawnfest back in the peloton. But you can’t blame the guys out in front, they did what they needed to do," Robbie McEwen said in Eurosport's The Cycling Show, before complementing stage winner Davide Bais for his persistency: “Over the last year or so, I’ve commentated on a number of races and watched Davide Bais in, I would say, something like 16-18 breakaways! And none of them have been successful… until today."
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"The guy who keeps getting out there, who keeps rolling the dice, putting himself at the front of the race, making those day-long efforts for so long with no reward for so long but now he is a Giro stage winner.” EOLO-Kometa have taken the success they wanted from this race, but with both Lorenzo Fortunato and Vincenzo Albanese showing good form the Italian team have more opportunities to succeed, whilst in the GC battle the coming two stages risk seeing meaningful differences.
“What a turn up for the books. I don’t think anybody including ourselves here in the race or directeur sportifs had any idea that this group would go all the way to the end," Sean Kelly added. “But Davide Bais, what a stage win for him. For all three of them to make it to the podium, it’s an unbelievable day, a special day for the guys that were fighting it out for the finish.”
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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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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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📅 13/05/2023 🚴♂️ Stage 8⃣ | Tappa 8⃣ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Terni - Fossombrone 📏 207 km 🎢 GPM: 4a cat. x2 - 2a cat. x1 ⏰ Start | Partenza: 11.50 PM 🏁 Arrival | Arrivo: ~ 5.00 PM 📺giroditalia.it/giro-in-tv/ 🇬🇧🇮🇹🇪🇸🇫🇷 Live: giroditalia.it/live/ #Giro #GirodItalia - @ENIT_italia
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