"That must sting a bit for Pogacar" - José de Cauwer takes some conclusions from Tour de France's ninth stage
Cycling
The Tour de France is set to be decided in the mountains, but leading up to it a lot is happening. Despite lacking the big climbs, the first week of the race has created large gaps and has been very fatiguing. But what we see is a fragile UAE Team Emirates - XRG in comparison to Team Visma | Lease a Bike, something Belgian commentator José de Cauwer speaks on.
"Difficult. From the moment Uno-X—I still wonder why—and the other teams started cooperating, you felt a bit of control. Then you still hoped for Van der Poel that it would work out. Especially considering the effort and the way they did it," De Cauwer said on Sporza "But then it becomes a sprint, and of course, you wish Tim Merlier the best."
The breakaway of Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert became the topic of the day, as alone - despite the help of the wind - the two averaged 50Km/h throughout the entire stage and would've taken the win if it weren't for an unlikely alliance of teams coming together in the end to bring it back for an expected sprint between Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier.
It was an unexpected story to the stage, and one that provided spice in a weekend with two pan-flat stages. "We've already said that Jasper Philipsen's loss has changed a lot. Otherwise, those guys wouldn't be attacking, and then you get a different kind of race. Which will also be the case with Almeida's loss".
There was some GC action as well as the strong winds saw moments where Visma attempted to split the peloton once again. It wasn't to be, but several times Tadej Pogacar was isolated whilst Jonas Vingegaard had several domestiques around him. "The moment Wellens is dropped, I expect Nils Politt to be there. He's a man with the body who had to be there".
"I didn't see Narvaez, nor Sivakov, so he was often alone. And then at a certain point you see Visma | Lease a Bike there with four or five riders, with Campenaerts, Affini, and Vingegaard. That must sting a bit for Pogacar, knowing that Almeida is gone".
In the mountains, this may make more of a difference: "Just domestique Almeida, who, in principle, would still be the last man there if there were problems. That should now be covered by Adam Yates. He's kept pretty calm so far, we hope. But Almeida has a bit more body".
On Quick-Step however, de Cauwer has seen enough, and after three stage wins the pressure is completely off the team after only nine days of racing. "The team is completely back with Remco and Schachmann, although they've never really been away. But on the first day, you would have thought: oh dear, what's this going to be like? But now that team is in top form and ready."
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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- 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
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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