"Wout is worth his weight in gold in every way" - Visma boss Plugge on Van Aert, Giro win, Gesink and Tour de France
Cycling
Richard Plugge has reasons to be happy yesterday in Rome, and after Olav Kooij sealed the stage win and Simon Yates the overall classification, the boss of Team Visma | Lease a Bike was ready after the finish with his pink attire to celebrate the team's first Grand Tour victory in over year and a half. He has talked about some of the most important riders and topics regarding the team over the past few days.
"It's a bittersweet feeling. We're winning one of the most beautiful races in the world, but we have to say goodbye to a beautiful young woman," Plugge said to Sporza. This week the wife of Robert Gesink, Daisy, passed away, casting a dark shadow over what would otherwise be a week of spotless celebration. “She was always there; it's such a blow.”
"The emotions are so close together: one moment you lose, the next you win. We've finished the Giro brilliantly: three stage wins and the pink jersey. I couldn't have wished for more, except that someone else could still be with us." The team had a very modest start to the race, but after stage 9 in Siena everything fit into place.
After stage 19 there was a sense of disappointment in Simon Yates who looked to be losing the ability to win the race. But on Saturday, he turned everything around at the Colle delle Finestre. "It's fantastic how it turned out. Simon Yates rode consistently for three weeks, and in the end, we showed as a team how to make the race tough."
"We really showed team spirit. It's already our team's fourth Grand Tour winner, so it's truly a team victory. I think that's wonderful. I cherish this victory very much, but it's equal to all the others. Of course, the plan was to get Wout over the Finestre. We knew long ago that it would happen on the last day. Simon had his eyes on it because of the past. 2018 he lost the Giro there, but now he could win it. We seized that opportunity."
As it turned out, Yates had the legs to distance his rivals, and then the van Aert plan worked to perfection. "Wout is worth his weight in gold in every way. Yesterday, I saw photos of Wout on the Tour with Jonas Vingegaard on his wheel, and yesterday, it was Yates. Simon rode the fastest time ever on the Finestre. But when Wout accelerates in front of you, you must seal the deal."
It was the perfect sign for the team ahead of the Tour, with both Yates and Van Aert showing a very high level, which will be necessary for Jonas Vingegaard to be able to match Tadej Pogacar throughout the three weeks. "He will now take a break and then gradually build up to the Tour. His role will be slightly different than in recent weeks".
"He's had a great spring, even though he just missed out on a victory. But he's a consistent top rider, so we want to see that again in the Tour. We expect a lot from him," he said of van Aert.
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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- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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