"That was my responsibility" - Visma DS Niermann explains why Visma let riders in front after Jonas Vingegaard's crash
Cycling
On stage 15, Jonas Vingegaard went down early in the day and was caught out behind a split alongside most other GC riders. Whilst it didn't look like a dramatic race situation, Tadej Pogacar's presence in front and latter comments on not understand Team Visma | Lease a Bike's tactics have led to unpleased responses from Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert. Team DS Grischa Niermann takes responsibilities for the misunderstanding, and explains why the Dutch team maintained three riders in front at that moment.
"It's clear that we came here with one big goal, and that's the general classification with Jonas Vingegaard. But we also always come to the Tour de France with different objectives, like aiming for stage wins. That's what we did yesterday," Niermann explained to the media in a press conference this morning. It was rather clear that the stage would have a winner from a breakaway, and with the race not stopping in front, pulling the riders back would likely sacrifice the team's chances of succeeding.
"You're probably referring to what happened at the start of the stage. That was my responsibility. I analyzed the situation, and I was sure that the big group with Jonas would come back easily, without any problems. That's how I perceived the race at that moment, from the car. I decided that the guys in front had to stay at the front. Obviously, my analysis would have changed if the group behind lost time, and in that case, we would have dropped all the guys back down."
Ultimately those minutes had no influence in the outcome of the stage or the overall classification, but it were Pogacar's comments that struck after the stage, claiming Vingegaard might not be happy at the dinner table later tonight, and somewhat appearing to be trying to spark some of the team's riders against each other. Most likely that will now be water under the bridge, although tension between the two teams does exist - at the end of the day, there is a Tour de France victory on the line.
But how do Visma turn the race around, against such a strong opponent? "We'll have to make a decision, of course. There's a four-minute gap to make up, so an attack 500 meters from the finish in the high mountains won't be enough. There must be a weakness in Tadej somewhere. For now, we haven't found it, but we'll keep trying. There are a few big stages left, and we'll try to get there. The Tour doesn't finish until Paris".
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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- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas06-11-2026 - Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
- He seems to be the rare athlete whose passion and curiosity about life beyond his sport equals his extraordinary achievements in it. It would be great for him to risk less of that life. He seems very grateful and joyful for what he has already attained.
MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
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