Mathieu van der Poel under fire from rider he crashed: "Some riders do not respect their colleagues for who they are"
Mountain Bike
Mathieu van der Poel's return to Mountain Biking had virtually the worst outcome he could've expected, but besides that, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider didn't make any friends either. After he caused a crash in the group, Spaniard David Valero was vocal in the criticism of the Dutch star.
Van der Poel abandoned the race after two crashes in the opening minutes of the race. The second was the worst, and the one that caused the withdrawal from the race and the injuries that are currently putting his Tour de France at risk.
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However the first he did not fall alone. Not being a regular in the field, van der Poel had a modest starting position, and in an attempt to gain positions in the packed peloton over the start of the race, he bumped into David Valero, causing both to crash. Whilst the consequences of the fall were not big, it earned him harsh criticism.
36-year old Valero shared a message on Instagram following the race where he didn't directly name van der Poel, but the message was very clearly about him. "I'm disappointed with the race I had today, especially with some riders who don't respect their teammates for who they are," he wrote. "I appreciate them coming to race and giving full visibility to the Mountain Bike World Series, which is very important. But respect!!!"
You can see a video of the incident below:
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🚵🇨🇿 | Oeioeioei, valpartij Van der Poel terwijl hij probeert op te schuiven. Dan gebeurt precies waar je niet op zit te wachten... 💥💥
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) May 25, 2025
📺 Stream MTB op HBO Max pic.twitter.com/Jej9nLP4Lb

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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