"This defies all the laws of cycling" - Pogacar's crash stuns José de Cauwer, who wonders if Wout Van Aert would've done the same if he hadn't crashed
Cycling
The pre-Cipressa crash was the race-marking moment of Milano-Sanremo this year. It also played a big role in the race of many favourites, something which Sporza commentators José de Cauwer and Karl Vannieuwkerke discussed following the first monument of the season.
"They crashed quite a bit before the Cipressa. Actually, it was abnormal that they crashed there. Normally, it would be closer to the foot, not in such a gentle left-hand bend," De Cauwer argued in the microphones of Sporza. The tension and extreme fight for positioning led to this, a scenario that didn't come as a surprise - however the quality of those who went down might not have been expected.
Pogacar's return, aided by UAE and then launched by Brandon McNulty and Isaac del Toro on the Cipressa, was a sight to behold for the Belgian: "There, at that moment, turning onto the Cipressa last at that speed, rolling up everyone, and still taking the top time. That is madness. You think 'this can't be done' so often that you gradually start to believe it can."
Vannieuwkerke was equally stunned with the prowess that the World Champion was pulling off in real time: "Personally, I thought 'this can't be'. But if you had said that Van Aert would still have finished third? Then I would have answered 'no way' too."
"Wout van Aert is certainly fine. That has been a very encouraging sight for us. Yet this defies all the laws of cycling. At 32 kilometers from the finish line, he takes a heavy tumble and is lucky that he doesn't suffer any lasting consequences. To then fly around on adrenaline for 45 minutes is crazy."
"Who knows, maybe he would have made it solo, had he not crashed. That ability to overtake an entire peloton, you shouldn't underestimate that."
How important is Roubaix?
If Pogacar managed to perform like this in Sanremo, leading to him dropping and beating Mathieu van der Poel; it leaves room to question if there has been a growing gap over the past 12 months which may favour him at Paris-Roubaix.
"But Pogacar's career is much bigger than whether or not he wins all 5 Monuments. What are we talking about? That means nothing, it's just a number," de Cauwer argues already, putting forward that in a career with so much success already, a win in Roubaix wouldn't have a massive impact.
Great signs from Wout Van Aert
The two were very surprised with how Wout Van Aert rode back into contention for the race and then still attacked and held off the peloton to make it to the podium as well, marking the sole Belgian presence on the men's race podium (whilst ont he women's side, Lotte Kopecky put the country's flag on the top step.
"Suppose Pogacar rides away with Mathieu van der Poel and Van Aert joins them, I think it still wouldn't amount to anything for the latter. But the fact that Pidcock was able to follow in that way also showed that Pogacar had to put a lot of energy into that chase. So suppose Wout had escaped the crash, I would have liked to see how it would have turned out," Vannieuwkerke wonders. "I thought he was really strong."
Although Sanremo was a goal, the cobbled monuments are Van Aert's big dreams, and he has also beaten all odds to make it onto the podium. "This performance is going to do him an incredible amount of good. A podium in Milano-Sanremo must give him courage," de Cauwer concluded.
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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