A tragic 24 hours for the cycling world. After the passing of Italian manager Gianni Savio, we have also learn about the passing of Émile Idée, a man who has won a stage at the 1949 Tour de France and lived to tell the story until the end of 2024.
Emile Idée, the oldest stage winner in the Tour de France, passed away yesterday at the age of 104," the Tour de France social media page wrote in honour of the Frenchman. "French road champion in 1942 and 1947, he won a stage of the Tour de France in Nîmes in 1949. The Tour family sends its condolences to his loved ones".
Idée turned professional in the middle of World War 2 that heavily affected France, in 1940, and joined the Alcyon - Dunlop team. He was a Tour stage winner in 1949 into Nimes; won the Critérium Internacional on three occasions, was a national champion of France on two occasions and even came close to winning Paris-Roubaix in 1948, where he was only beaten by Rik van Steenbergen. He was the longest living Tour stage winner, a day that has already happened 75 years ago.
CyclingUpToDate would like to extend it's condolences to friends and family of Émile.
Emile Idée, le doyen des vainqueurs d’étape sur le Tour de France s’est éteint hier à l’âge de 104 ans.
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) December 31, 2024
Champion de France sur route en 1942 et 1947, il avait remporté une étape du Tour de France, à Nîmes, en 1949. La famille du Tour adresse toutes ses condoléances à ses… pic.twitter.com/GHwDZZ5q6D
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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- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
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