"The race went 99.9 percent perfectly for them" - José de Cauwer cautious to criticize Visma after DDV disaster
Cycling
Wout van Aert was beaten in the final sprint of Dwars door Vlaanderen by Neilson Powless and it ruined a day's worth of incredible work and tactics. There are positives and negatives to take from Team Visma | Lease a Bike's performance in the final race days before the Tour of Flanders, but Belgian commentator and pundit José de Cauwer won't rule out the good that was seen.
"The race went 99.9 percent perfectly for them. They raced hard, rode away where you wanted to ride away... And then those last hundred meters... They messed up so much. Mentally," de Cauwer said on Sporza.
"You still have Thursday, Friday, Saturday. That all has to be sorted out. And it wasn't the Tour of Flanders either. But the only thing that will change because of this is that they will think at Visma-Lease a Bike: we are going for yellow."
Read also
The truth is the Dutch team managed to catch everyone by surprise in a moment of the race where everyone knew positioning was key, and managed to split the peloton enough that they've had three riders go up the road, leaving behind specialists such as Mads Pedersen who's been on incredible form. This will be hard to replicate in Flanders, a race with a stronger startlist and rivals such as Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, but it will be a tactic that'll stay in mind.
It is a big 'if' though, and the defeat in the finale will have ruined whichever motivation could've come from it. "This race could have boosted morale. That's not completely gone now. They've clearly worked hard, he's been prepared. Was that good enough? Only Van Aert knows that when he looks deep in the mirror."
However, a race of such difficulty remains one that is brutal for all riders, and in the end we may see surprises: "The Tour is and remains the Tour of Flanders: Bettiol won the Tour, Asgreen beat Van der Poel, something that was also impossible. Never say never".
Read also
😳 Wout van Aert's knee from previous crashes and injuries...
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 3, 2025
The man is a warrior 💪 pic.twitter.com/3qcdP18COU

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.
claps 1visitors 1
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
2 Comments









