VIDEO | Furious Pauline Ferrand-Prevot lashes out against La Vuelta Femenina organizers after TTT disaster
Cycling
La Vuelta Femenina began today, however - as has happened in the past in the very same city of Barcelona in the men's race - the opening team time-trial saw some chaos. In this case a few teams had issues with their start because of a delay in the checking of the bikes, and Team Visma | Lease a Bike were quite harmed by it which led to a big lashing out from Pauline Ferrand-Prévot on social media.
On an Instagram story, since deleted, the French rider explained why two of the team's riders began after the rest, in what would culminate in the team losing 20 seconds to Lidl-Trek in the opening TTT of the race. "WTF!!! How the organization of a Grand Tour can be SO amateur?" she wrote in the post. "Is the jury sleeping while checking our bikes?!!! We were there 20 min[utes] before the bike check and 2 of our girls didn't make it on time. We kept saying to the jury we had to go but seems they were in chill mood".
The message was truly a venting of frustration over a very unfair situation against the Dutch team. "So much preparation and effort for nothing. Losing so much time on GC... UCI you prone for a fair sport, but this is not the way to go".
Shambles at the start for Visma | Lease Bike - one rider barely on the ramp when told to go
— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) May 4, 2025
Imogen Wolff having to fly out of the car exit instead of the actual ramp!#LaVueltaFemenina pic.twitter.com/mFRoB74523
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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.
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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)...
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