Niels Albert: "I would like to see if Van Aert and co really stand out as much as they did in the past two years"
Cyclocross
Niels Albert, former pro and cyclocross star, has recently talked about Eli Iserbyt in harsh form that has seen him in the spotlight. Now, he's given his opinion on some of the current updates in cyclocross as we head deeper into the season and some comebacks will happen soon.
“Laurens Sweeck and Michael Vanthourenhout are currently riding at a very high level,” Albert told Het Laatste Nieuws. “I would like to see if Van Aert and co really stand out as much as they did in the past two years. Or has the difference narrowed? On a course like that of Beekse Bergen, I think Vanthourenhout and Sweeck can go a long way with the real toppers.”
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After Eli Iserbyt's early season dominance, now Michael Vanthourenhout has taken the win in the European Championships and Laurens Sweeck has won the last two World Cup rounds, almost completely closing the point gap to his former teammate.
“It was a lot of turning and turning in the woods, a sandbox, then pulling it again, and then you can only ride as fast as the course allows. Even if you ride a Formula 1 car that is much more powerful. Even if your name is Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel," he argues, in favour of the seasoned pros.
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Whilst Tom Pidcock is set to return to competition this weekend in the Superprestige Merksplas, Wout van Aert will make his debut in the Kortrijk World Cup the weekend after and Mathieu van der Poel is expected to take part in the Hulst World Cup aswell at the end of November. Albert was also keen on talking about Joris Nieuwenhuis, who has turned to a full-time cyclocross schedule after leaving the road and Team DSM, and has ridden into a 4th place in Beekse Bergen recently.
"Nieuwenhuis was once again in very good shape. He was U23 world champion before he became a road cyclist. And now he's back," he said. "Nieuwenhuis did become fourth on Sunday. I would like to see it sometime, during the Christmas period, when other riders are gradually getting tired, or Nieuwenhuis will not stand out.”
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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.
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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)...
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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- A great route aswell. Col D'Arcy is a toughie
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - Let Torito have a shot at it
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
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Next round of the #CXWorldCup will be Overijse 🇧🇪 Will @tompidcock shake things up at his debut World Cup CX race this season 👀. Join us on 20 Nov!
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