"So cooked that you just need to sit down" - Paul Double reflects on the biggest win of his career at Tour of Guangxi
Cycling
Paul Double is a rider with a lot of quality and an interesting history in the sport of cycling, and unlike most riders in the modern age, it seems is now beginning to reach the peak of his career at age 29. Today he won the queen stage of the Tour of Guangxi, his first World Tour triumph, and tomorrow he is set to conquer the overall classification too because of it.
This past December CyclingUpToDate was at the Team Jayco AlUla camp and in conversation with the Briton, it was clear there were high ambitions and hopes for his first World Tour season. At the same time, he hadn't yet taken a pro win in all his years in the peloton, but with the switch to a more high-level environment, the evolution of Double is very notable.
“It feels like I've turned into a proper bike rider now. Probably now speaking to you guys. At the finish, we’re all so cooked that you just need to sit down. You can’t take it in up there, but now on the podium as well with this spectacular scenery, it’s super special," Double said after his win at the Tour of Guangxi this morning in Nongla.
Double has won at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali and then also won a stage and the overall classification at the Tour of Slovakia. He continues to carry great form and after showing good legs these past few days hunting for bonus seconds, today he showed his climbing legs at his very best.
He managed to attack in the early section of the climb together with Mikkel Honoré, but it wasn't a lucky win, as the asphyxiating pace didn't allow for anyone to properly put on a chase behind, and in the final ultra-steep kilometer, Double soared to a career-best victory.
“I think most years, apart from signing with Jayco this year and then a few years ago, there’s never really been security, especially in the Continental teams when I was trying to progress. I think only three out of the last seven, eight years I've been confident to continue, so it’s nice to be here now," he admits.
"I said amongst the boys ‘we're going to win today,’ but the reality is with the level of the field here, I probably didn't expect it, so to pull it off is really special and this season has turned out to be super good for me".
Double has taken 4 wins in his first year as a World Tour rider, so far, at age 29. @Sirotti
He also admits that there were little expectations that he would be able to reach this level early in the season after seriously struggling with form both during the spring and summer. “There was a lot of getting my head kicked in over the years – and there still is, you know. This year I had a real low period after the Giro. It turns out I was cooked, and Austria was really bad, but we just rebuilt steadily, and I've come back to a good level, so I’m really happy."
“Probably now it's the confidence. Before Slovakia, I knew I was a good bike rider, and I was kind of waiting for the win to come," he added. “I think now it has, it's given me that extra confidence and I've done it again here today, and having a strong team around me, the boys have been great all week.”
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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- 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
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- 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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