Wout van Aert "can win twenty cyclocross races, nobody cares. He has to win classics" - Tom Boonen
Cycling
Within the Belgian community there is a great deal of importance given to the cobbled classics. Wout van Aert is one of the biggest specialists in the current peloton, but despite his incredibly versatility former pro Tom Boonen believes the responsibility is to win big.
“Wout will be 29 years old. The time has come, especially after the winter he has now had. The level he has achieved is unseen, to the extent that I sometimes wonder what those (cyclocross, ed.) riders are doing racing so hard so early in the year," Bonnen said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. The classics legend has talked about how Mathieu van der Poel is the rider who prevents van Aert from achieving unheard success, but puts a lot of emphasis on his compatriot's responsibilities.
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“To put it bluntly: he can win twenty cyclocross races, nobody cares. He has to win classics," he states. Despite having won the cyclocross World titles on three occasions, as well as countless successes on the road including several stage wins and the green jersey. However he has not yet won a monument in the cobbles, despite several times being close at both Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix.
"I myself hated it when my season was reduced to that, but he is so good that only classics really add something at the moment. You can win fifteen races in a year, if there is no classic, it is not enough," Boonen believes.
After a dominant cyclocross season, van Aert had a front row seat to Mathieu van der Poel's victory at the cyclocross World Championships. After his ongoing training camp at Mount Teide, he will start his road season at Strade Bianche. Milano-Sanremo, Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix are all planned for the Jumbo-Visma rider.
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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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