"Until 2019 I didn't have a power meter or nutritionist" - Movistar's Vuelta leader on unlikely rise through cycling ranks
Cycling
Venezuela's Orluis Aular is one of the riders that over the past years has impressed the most, and he has well and truly become a leader at Movistar Team. This Vuelta a Espana, he is the rider who has been towards the front the most, and he has talked about his current form, objectives but also his rise through cycling through very limited conditions.
"We are happy, even though we have not yet achieved the victory. We have been very close to achieving it and that gives us motivation to keep fighting," Aular said in an interview with Marca. "We are happy, even though we have not yet achieved the victory. We have been very close to achieving it and that gives us motivation to keep fighting."
The 28-year old finished third on the opening stage in Novara, and after a few Top10's and even breakaways, he finished second to Mads Pedersen on stage 15. "We knew he was the top favorite and where he was, I had to be. In the end I came second and it showed that Pedersen was one point ahead. I'm left with that bitter taste, but also the conviction that we are at the top level." Movistar is looking for their first Vuelta win here, but it hasn't been easy with the crashes of Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo affecting their odds.
"We are in the top category, and winning is never easy. I think we've had a good year, with victories, although we always want more. After the Vuelta come important classics and I want to finish on a good footing. All this busy calendar is going to strengthen me a lot for next year. There is always pressure, people demand a victory from us. It's different without Enric [Mas], but we're psyched. It's not impossible. If we continue with this dynamic, we can achieve it."
However Aular has a clear goal in the final week, which is stage 19's slight uphill sprint: "Friday's stage suits my conditions. I've lifted my foot on the hard days to psyche myself up for that goal. We're racing every day like it's a classic, and you have to be ready when the opportunity comes." After the results he has shown across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, next year he wants to make a Tour de France debut - which will have been deserved most likely.
"Every cyclist wants to be there, and I'm one of them. This year I've shown that I can be fighting at the top level. Hopefully it will be in 2026, and if not, I'll continue to focus on making a great calendar. I want to be in that Tour eight. I want to keep growing. Every step, every hard race, makes me better. This is just the beginning."
The Venezuelan has also revealed an interesting detail about his career, which is that only at 22 years of age did he begin to train and race like a professional rider, in stark contrast with the grand majority of the riders below his age in the current peloton: "I raced in Mexico, in Japan, in Spain... until 2019 I didn't have a power meter or nutritionist. Now the youngsters start with all that from cadets and that's why they perform so early. It cost me more, but every year I'm making a leap in quality."
Aular at the 2025 Vuelta a España. @Sirotti
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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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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