Tadej Pogacar will be riding the Tour des Flandres this spring and has came to Dwars door Vlaanderen to get a feel for the cobbles before the main target. Although having missed the main move, he showed himself very active and with great form, and is displaying very good signs for Sunday's race.
“It was a really good experience. At a key moment there was a crash and I got caught behind. I missed the front group and tried to come back with an effort but they were too strong. I tried many times and in the end to get back to the front but that’s racing," Pogacar said in a post-race interview.
Although he was active, he was out of position when the race's crucial early attack went up the road with 70 kilometers to go. Although on the following climb, the Kanarieberg, he seemed to be close to bridging across, it was a task too hard for an individual rider. He was part of some chasing groups as the race split behind, and ended the race in 10th place.
"It was a good race. I should have been closer to the front when the move went but I feel for sure I’ve learned a lot. In the first hour there were big fights for the original breakaway so I got the feeling of how hectic these races can be on the narrow roads. I’m excited for Sunday," he concluded.
With today's performance it definitely appears that the Slovenian is ready for the Tour des Flandres. Although it is a race that requires know-how, Biniam Girmay's recent win at Gent-Wevelgem in what was one of his first race days in Flandres showed that form and power is the most crucial factor.
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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