Stephen Williams "over the moon" with breakthrough win against world-class competition in Suisse
Cycling
Bahrain - Victorious came to the Tour de Suisse with the clear ambitions of helping Gino Mäder in the fight for the overall classification, however they hit the ground running as instead Stephen Williams shocked rivals to take the first stage win.
"To come away with a win and win like this was great. It’s been a strange few years, and I’m over the moon to come here and win a stage," Williams said in a post-race interview. The Briton had a very tough start to his career with several injuries, however things seemed to back back into place as he won the Cro Race last year. In 2022 he had been relatively absent, but a win on the opening day of the Swiss race has taken him straight into the spotlight.
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While the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Jakob Fuglsang and Aleksandr Vlasov attempted to blow up the front group with dashing attacks towards the finale, Williams rode under the radar and never hit the wind in the final kilometers, saving himself for one big move which came in the final meters. The 26-year old had a very strong finale and outsprinted Andreas Kron and Max Schachmann, a surprising win which race broadcasters initially struggled to recognize.
“I’m really happy how it went. It was a pretty tough day. The sun was on the whole day, quite a demanding course, and the climbs were not super hard, but they were draining energy every time," he detailed. Williams took the win however, and the race lead alongside it into stage two.
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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.
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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)...
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- the 6th TDF is a more record breaking opportunity than a 2nd Giro. Jonas can double up. For Remco its TDF. For Sexias it will be a good opportunity but as usual TDF will be his main goal For del Toro, yes good opportunityabstractengineer04-11-2026
- Well, this is something which isn't all that common
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they go
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years ago
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughie
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - Let Torito have a shot at it
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del Belvedere
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026
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Baaam! @stevierhys_96 wins the opening stage @tds 🙌🙌🙌🙌 #RideAsOne #tourdesuisse2022
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