The Vuelta a Espana often features stages that are mostly flat and then feature a summit finish that is not well adapted to the pure climbers. There are three such cases this year and in this type of day that doesn't suit many riders, we could see Tom Pidcock emerge as a quality contender. Today in the Alps, the Briton aims to win the stage and potentially take the race lead.
"I always take some time to get into races, but I had a decent summer, good races, Norway obviously very good, so yeah we'll see," Pidcock shared with Cyclingnews before the second stage of the race, having arrived in Novara safely on the opening day of the race.
He spoke after the stage and admitted that today's hilly stage is one that suits him and where he has ambitions of performing. "Tomorrow, we'll go for the stage, we'll go for the best result we can, and everyone's committed to that".
The final climb to Limone is around 10 kilometers long at an average gradient of 5%, with the final 2 kilometers averaging almost 8%. Hence it's not truly a climber's finale, but it should be too difficult for all the sprinters present. Inbetween are a few puncheurs and the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team leader is the biggest name out of them.
After having taken on an altitude camp, Pidcock won a MTB World Cup race at home in Andorra and won the queen stage of the Tour of Norway with a stellar ascent of about 8 minutes in duration. He comes into the stage as a big favourite together with Giulio Ciccone and Jonas Vingegaard, in an arrival that can be quite tricky.
However the Swiss team faces a meaningful challenge on stage 5 when it arrives in Spain and the Briton is set to lose time to his rivals. "It'll be the first team time trial I'll have done as a pro. I did one back in the Tour de l'Avenir and one in the Tour of Britain," he admits. "We've done a few good practice sessions, we're pretty limited as it's not like we're as well-drilled as maybe some of the bigger teams. But we've done all we can, and we'll give it a go."
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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