"The Worlds are always beautiful, but it has to make sense" - Wout van Aert does not yet know if he will race World Championships
Cycling
Wout van Aert has finished the Tour de Franc with a bang and has been taking part in a few post-Tour criteriums over the past days whilst trying to recover from the months of specific preparation towards several races. His season is not finished yet, but the Belgian can't say if he will take part in the World Championships yet.
It has been argued by some that the course in Rwanda suits the Belgian very well with the cobbled climbs, and this has specially been argued after his iconic win in Paris this past Sunday where he dropped Tadej Pogacar on the final climb. However the course features a lot more climbing and will suit better the climbers who can handle the explosive terrain (with Pogacar being the obvious man to beat).
Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels argued the course suits the Team Visma | Lease a Bike quite well and is doing his best to convince van Aert to make the trip to Rwanda. However this is something that the Belgian has not made a decision on yet.
“I haven’t thought about it yet. That’s something for the coming days and weeks. And no, I haven’t spoken to the national coach - I’ve had enough on my plate just replying to all the messages," van Aert told Sporza ahead of a celebratory criterium in his hometown of Herentals where he took the win.
But before he makes any decision he wants to be able to recover and enjoy the success he's had. Although he did not manage to win a cobbled classics this spring he showed his very best level once again, won a stage and was a key piece to Simon Yates' Giro d'Italia win; and has now won at the Tour de France again. After a psychologically difficult spring, he has bounced back to the headlines consistently.
“I don’t feel completely fresh. I’ve tried to rest after the Tour, but I did have a few small celebrations. Every time I opened my phone, I saw that finish (of stage 21, ed.) again. Only then did I realize how special it really was.”
Asked directly about the World Championships, which will also take place at altitude - hence requiring more specific preparation than usually - van Aert has answered the following: "The Worlds are always beautiful, but it has to make sense. These are tough questions".
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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