Rui Oliveira's dream of winning a long-cherished victory was bitterly postponed on Thursday. The 28-year-old Portuguese rider was disqualified after crossing the finish line first in the second stage of the Tour of Slovenia yesterday, thus missing out on his long-awaited victory. With the decision of the stewards, victory was awarded to the Swiss rider Fabio Christen.
Despite the disappointment, Rui Oliveira was proud of his performance, "This has been the most difficult year since I turned professional. For so many reasons and setbacks, it was really hard for me to imagine myself crossing the finish line first today, so I'm proud of myself for overcoming that and doing what I did," he wrote on his Instagram account, in a post illustrated by photos of the finish.
Rui Oliveira spoke to Eurosport before the jury awarded a disputed victory to Fabio Christen
However, the UAE rider assured that he will continue to fight for his debut win, "Despite everything, it was a special day. I'll keep looking for it [victory]", he promised.
The post quickly generated a wave of support on social media. Among the comments on the post was that of his UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammate, current world champion Tadej Pogacar:
"I'm proud of you, brother. For me, it was a clear and well-deserved victory," wrote the man who is considered to be the best cyclist of our time.
Ivo Oliveira, Rui's twin brother, had already spoken out on X (formerly Twitter), where he expressed his indignation: "If they decide that, from now on, they have to disqualify riders because of something like this, cycling is over! They can start disqualifying everyone, because every day and in every sprint, things like this happen, if not worse, and no one is ever sanctioned! Rui, for me you're the winner".
Read also
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment