Bahrain - Victorious have been put under serious pressure on the second day of the Tour of the Alps, but in the end managed to take the win with a textbook leadout, delivering Pello Bilbao into the stage win and overall classification lead.
With a 20 kilometer ascent opening up the day, it was no surprise to see a big sequence of attacks that seemed to be a crucial GC move for the race. It included the likes of Miguel Ángel López, Pavel Sivakov, Michael Storer and several other quality climbers in a group of ten.
In the Passo Mendola, the main climb of the day four riders took advantage to stay up the road: Pavel Sivakov, Michael Storer, Thymen Arensman and Hermann Pernsteiner. In the final ascent Arensman was dropped, whilst Pernsteiner dropped back to assist in the chase that Bahrain - Victorious organized alongside AG2R. Bahrain did a whole-team effort throughout the final hours of racing to bring back the last escapees in the last descent, and still had the numbers to control the race until the final kilometers, where a sprint was expected - despite the brutal day.
Bahrain had the numbers and no-one tried to go over them in the final kilometer, they delivered Pello Bilbao in pole position for the sprint and the Basque took a dominant sprint win. Romain Bardet and Attila Valter finished second and third, whilst former race leader Geoffrey Bouchard was dropped in the final descent and arrived 35 seconds later.
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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🏅🇪🇸 Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) Gana la Etapa 2 del Tour de los Alpes 2022 🇮🇹🇦🇹 #TotA #TotA2022 #Ciclismo #Noticiclismo
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