"The toughest miles of my life" - Another young rider details experience of following Tadej Pogacar during Coll de Rates KOM
Cycling
A few weeks ago, on the final day of the UAE Team Emirates - XRG team training camp, Tadej Pogacar had a leadout from several of his teammates and went on to take the Strava KOM on one of the world's most famous climbs. After Quinten Muys, another one of the young riders who followed the Slovenian up the climb has talked about the experience.
Training in Spain ahead of the 2025 season, the Hubo - Scott CT rider talked about the brief moments in which he followed none other than the rainbow jersey at crazy speeds. "We jumped in Pogacar's wheel, and my friend took his phone and filmed until we were almost at the top. In addition to a pat on the back, a selfie with the world champion followed at the top of the climb," Birkholm said in words to Feltet.
Seeing and meeting the pro riders out on the road is something that makes cycling more attractive when comparing to many other sports, and on this occasion the Danish youngster managed to be face to face with the mean who has just ridden possible the sport's most successful season ever.
"It was unbelievable riding with a guy you admire," Birkholm admits. The 'Costa Blanca' becomes a hotspot for pro teams and many other riders during the month of December and January, and on this occasion the presence of Pogacar attracted an immense amount of attention. "He rode alone, so it was a crazy experience. Probably the toughest miles of my life. But it was beyond words".
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Live images of 🇸🇮 Tadej Pogacar's successful Coll de Rates KOM attack! 🚀
— Domestique (@Domestique___) December 20, 2024
🎬 Alexander Depoorter pic.twitter.com/dnLne5oVaS
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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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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