Van Aert criticizes lack of radios in chaotic World Championships: "I was shocked when Laporte told me he had taken silver"
Cycling
Wout van Aert was taking a big spotlight at the World Championships, being a prime favourite. Belgium however had more weapons, and Remco Evenepoel managed to benefit from strong legs and tactics to take the World title.
"Of course I am happy with this title. It has been a fantastic race. You can determine the tactics in advance, but if it also works out that way awesome," van Aert told Sporza at the end of the race. "When Remco moved with that group, I knew it was dangerous, but it was just a good situation for the team.” Evenepoel was joined by Quinten Hermans, Pieter Serry and Stan Dewulf in the winning move, giving van Aert the opportunity to race without the pressure that often sees him being swarmed by rivals.
“By the way, also for me personally. I was sitting in a seat in the peloton. But when we entered the last lap we heard that Remco was alone in front. When the alarm bells went off and he kept the same lead, you knew he had another super day. And then the strongest wins," he added.
Van Aert had strong legs however, as he's shown by attacking the climb to Mount Pleasant on the penultimate climb, in an attempt to overturn the constant lack of cohesion that saw the peloton lose minutes to the winning group. Eventually however, most of the sprinters were not dropped from the peloton, and van Aert sprinted to fourth place at the end of the day.
“It was discussed that I had that freedom, if Remco was allowed to ride in front in a large group. That was the tactic. But then of course I didn't know that Remco was already riding alone. I only learned that at the passage at the finish," he reveals. "The last time I made another move, but then the race was of course finished.”
“A lot of guys had their race tuned to me. Remco has also given that space. It's great that it turned out this way and that I was able to contribute. In the future we can do great things with this Belgian team," he continues, arguing that even though Evenepoel was racing towards the win, several riders were still keen on marking out van Aert.
Like Christophe Laporte and Michael Matthews however, it was unknown to van Aert what position he was racing for. That seemed to have influenced the finale, with chaos and confusion apparent and team tactics often seemingly without a clear purpose. “Racing without earphones, that's a drama. And no longer of this time.
"I didn't know at the finish whether I was sprinting for 2nd, 10th or 15th place. I was shocked when Laporte told me he had taken silver. Quite a shame, because I think I had the legs to be on the podium," he 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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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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Wat @WoutvanAert en @EvenepoelRemco dit jaar hebben gepresteerd is ongelooflijk straf. Diep respect voor alle arbeid en opofferingen die geleverd zijn om deze prestaties te kunnen behalen. Fijne vakantie heren!
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