Wout van Aert looking forward to battles with Mathieu van der Poel throughout cyclocross season: "I hope to fight some good duels with him"
Cyclocross
Wout van Aert's clock is ticking and the Jumbo-Visma rider is imminent for a cyclocross return this coming weekend, with the Antwerp World Cup serving as his first outing of the winter season. He's talked about what he expects from his start.
"When he's at 90 percent, he's going to be a tough opponent. We have a good track record in cyclo-cross and I hope to fight some good duels with him," van Aert shared in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. "I look forward to that. I'm at 90 percent myself, I think. I can ride at a high pace for a long time, but I still miss that acceleration."
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Whilst Tom Pidcock won his third event upon returning to cyclocross, he seemed to be the strongest in the Overijse cyclocross, his first World Cup race of the winter. In similar fashion, Mathieu van der Poel won his first outing in the Hulst World Cup this past Sunday. With the two former World Champions showing good enough form to fight for the wins, Wout van Aert will be in a similar position into the coming weekend.
The Belgian superstar had planned to start his stint off-road earlier in the winter, but an illness has had him postpone his preparation and return by a week. Like van der Poel, both will specifically be targeting the World Championships where they will aim to return to the rainbow stripes.
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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.
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)...
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