"To win in Plouay with this jersey is extraordinary" - Valentin Madouas wins Bretagne Classic with French colours on his chest
Cycling
The Bretagne Classic had a stacked startlist yet it proved to be an open race with a few outsiders fighting for victory. From the winning group of four, Groupama - FDJ played their cards well and took a very meaningful win as Valentin Madouas won with the nation's colous.
“I don't really know what to say, I'm really very moved," Madouas said in a post-race interview to Cyclism'Actu. "To win in Plouay with this jersey is extraordinary! It was a dream to win here. What else do you want? I won a WorldTour race, so I have to enjoy this." The Breton classic is one of the most important classics in the country, and an important goal for the French team.
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It was then ideal that Valentin Madouas found his best legs on the day. He was able to make it into the winning move, alongside Stefan Küng who spent a lot of time on the attack at the front, including many kilometers alone. "The fact that I won is thanks to him, I could hear the crowd. Wow, it's really a big victory!"
In the final sprint Küng provided a leadout, but a calm one, and at the start of the uphill drag to the line Madouas came from behind with serious speed, and he managed to hold off an explosive Mathieu Burgaudeau to take the biggest win of his career perhaps. "I then came from behind with more speed," he explained, in what proved to be a very successful day for Groupama who also had the Swiss rider finishing fourth.
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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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La victoire en 💙🤍❤️
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