Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1773361422958727205

View: https://twitter.com/vismaleaseabike/status/1773361422958727205

Weird they keeping a door open for the Giro when even the Tour might come too soon.

 

[Oldermanish]

There is no one person or orgainzation to blame...maybe there is a case to blame capitalism, but I still believe people would race their bikes against each other, even in the absence of money, so even that is just an exercise on my part to promote a personal view, and not really reflective of the overall reality of racing. So, debate away, but I choose to go with the "Sh!t happens" explanation, and move on.

Older amateurs will risk life, limb and financial ruin to win a no-money local race. The psychology of that is individual but the willingness is pretty universal. It's just how desperate you may be to go home with bragging rights.
Pros have survived that and, for the most part; calculate those risks for reward. This shunt was rider error and could've happened to amateur juniors as well. It happened to take out one of my favorite riders right before my favorite single-day race to watch. I'm a voyeur and a sadist to like PR!

 

[Netserk]

Weird they keeping a door open for the Giro when even the Tour might come too soon.

The way I see it, they only rule him out of the races that they are certain he won't do. It's still too early to tell how long it will take him to get back on the bike. It's not like they are in any rush to change the Giro roster.

 

[Sciatic]

That's not true. I think both should be grateful to one another because such rivalry likely made them who they are now and if not for the other, they wouldn't have perhaps trained so hard.

I don't agree with this. You get disappointed or depressed by what seems to be within your reach given your set of skills. Only 5 riders can get depressed not winning the Tour.

My take is that athletes tend to weather these physical and emotional traumas better than fans might expect because they are competitors and have already been through enormous ups and downs already by this point in their careers.

 

[AmRacer]

I'm pointing out the discrepancy between Visma and WvA acknowledging that this stretch is very dangerous, while simultaneously handing out notes that they should ride it like hell in order to set up an attack on Kanarieberg.

I honestly don't know what the part in bold is in reply to what I've said? Like you want to link that to my opinion (spoiler: I think exactly the opposite).

first, Pogi was a big hole in the road, not a racing incident, just a road that isn't good enough to race on.

Second, yes, this was a racing incident, but a self-provoked racing incident. WvA touched Benoot's wheel as Benoot was eager to move up with WvA, swinging hard to the left in order to pass a fading Tim Van Dijcke, and Benoot even got out of the saddle at 70K/hr in a downhill, creating even more sudden movement of his rear wheel.
Either Benoot (or another domestique) accelerates seated going 70k/hr in order to keep position, or you just allow other riders to move in front and start the next hill from 10th-15th. Visma just didn't have the right guys / firepower at that moment to lead the bunch to the next curve: the Visma management made a plan to dominate the race, but without Tratnik, van Baarle, Laporte,... they simply lacked the guys executing the plan.

So in the end, Visma had an unrealistic plan to attack on Kanarieberg, they had it in their notes they should ride like hell. At the same time, they already expressed their concerns to RVV organisers that this stretch is very dangerous (the reason Kanarieberg won't feature anymore in RVV). Maybe they should reflect a bit on risk assessment.

Next time they should go 10 mph

 

[Volderke]

Next time they should go 10 mph

Next time, they should consider if aiming to ride like hell, without the capacity to do so, in a Micky Mouse race, on a segment they consider very dangerous themselves, is worth the increased risk, with the big race looming 4 days later.

 

[ManicJack]

Next time, they should consider if aiming to ride like hell, without the capacity to do so, in a Micky Mouse race, on a segment they consider very dangerous themselves, is worth the increased risk, with the big race looming 4 days later.

Yeah, we get it. Repeating your personal opinion over and over isn't going to change anyone else's.🙄

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I mean: if you read this carefully, the crash was a selffulfilling prophecy, and Visma has to think REAL hard how much responsability they want to take for this crash, given the way these notes ask for nothing else than to ride agressive and take serious risks crashing, for no other reason that setting up an attack for WvA to win this race. There was a time when prep races were just that: prepare for the big race. If WvA (but Visma in the first place) treated this race like a prep race, testing out tactics, e.g. send Benoot / Jorgensen up the road, or let WvA chase attacks rather than be the one to attack,... or in other words: Visma could have eased up just a bit in this race, still win it, but learn a lot more from racing differently than the plan they had now, which was to obliterate the competition already on Kanarieberg. What would they have learned from that, in preparation for trying to beat MvdP on Sunday? Not much it seems. Maybe whether they could drop Stuyven / Pedersen, but that's about it.

I think the way to race these smaller WT classics, if you are one of the top 3 guys for Flanders and roubaix, is to attack early to truly test your form, get the best training affect, and minimize your time scrambling for position. This is what Van der poel always does. It clearly doesn't come naturally to a guy like wout van art however, who I have criticised heavily in the past for his defensive racing on the classics.

Maybe it is different if you are a second tier classics contender who is fighting for a win in any race to make the spring a success. But WVA skipped Strade + Tirreno + Sanremo + gent wevelgem because he wanted to put everything on flanders and Roubaix. If you are doing dwars door vlanderen get out and attack the race early, split it up, show how strong you are !

Difficult to forget cancelara absolutely dominating E3 in 2013 before pulling out of gent wevelgem halfway through the race. Then he dominated the next 2 races he did...

 

[kingjr]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1773090684733411337

View: https://twitter.com/Domestique___/status/1773090684733411337

I know they mean well, but I would hate for someone to tell me to "come back stronger" in that situation. Like let me try to deal with this *** agonizing pain first please, ok?

 

[ManicJack]

Have their been any reports on whether or not any ribs needed surgery?

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Anyway, I don't understand why people are saying it could be the end of wva chances to win Flanders or Roubaix. All the top classics guys had at least one spring where they crashed out of the big races in a prep race on great form. To come back and win one of these races would be a beautiful redemption for him. The most important thing is not to rush a comeback or recovery to try win some forgettable giro or tour stage, when he has some good years left in his career and many big races to win

 

[Sciatic]

Anyway, I don't understand why people are saying it could be the end of wva chances to win Flanders or Roubaix. All the top classics guys had at least one spring where they crashed out of the big races in a prep race on great form. To come back and win one of these races would be a beautiful redemption for him. The most important thing is not to rush a comeback or recovery to try win some forgettable giro or tour stage, when he has some good years left in his career and many big races to win

True—or in some instances (Pogacar at LBL, Cancellara at RvV) crashed out early in the race they were targeting before real racing even started.

 

[Wvv]

Ok Wout.

Recover in a relax way. Do some minor races in June, early July. Go to altitude. Come down from your Tenerife mountain to win the olympic title. Get your long desired Ronde van Vlaanderen next year with a golden bike and helmet.

Cheers.

 

[Netserk]

Ok Wout.

Recover in a relax way. Do some minor races in June, early July. Go to altitude. Come down from your Tenerife mountain to win the olympic title. Get your long desired Ronde van Vlaanderen next year with a golden bike and helmet.

Cheers.

That doesn't bring you good luck though.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

It's almost like some people don't realize that racing is some of the best training you can do...Wout was not reinventing the wheel or training...I mean, I think...and I'm just spitballing here...that Wout and his coach felt like racing yesterday was good for his chances in RVV. I mean, sure, De Lie only wants to race the most important races, but Wout is no De Lie...he actually has a real training program, and coaches, and some actual knowledge of what is required to win something. Why was it that Mathieu raced E3 and G-W, then? Stupidity on his part...he could have crashed. <curretly trying to roll my eyes back far enough to see my cerebellum>

 

[Gigs_98]

I only caught the news yesterday evening. Man I'm honestly happy not to be a big Wout fan, it must be so unbelievably frustrating. Something always happens. Mechanicals, crashes, covid, just something. The gap between how strong he is and how comparatively weak his palmares looks is starting to get really noticable.

 

[Wvv]

That doesn't bring you good luck though.

Still breaks my heart that Greg never won it. But seven days after this picture, he pulled off Roubaix. Think Wout would sign for that.

 

[dobrien]

Anyway, I don't understand why people are saying it could be the end of wva chances to win Flanders or Roubaix. All the top classics guys had at least one spring where they crashed out of the big races in a prep race on great form. To come back and win one of these races would be a beautiful redemption for him. The most important thing is not to rush a comeback or recovery to try win some forgettable giro or tour stage, when he has some good years left in his career and many big races to win

Just my .02, but for me it's because next year he'll be 30 years old and (IMHO) past his top years for something requiring the explosiveness of Flanders; f he was ever going to win it I think this would have been the year. I definitely still think he can win Roubaix but what's the strategy for next year then? Surely they'll have realized the folly of putting all their eggs in one basket but who knows? Anyway, gutted for him. According to Benoot Wout was in the form of his life.. Uggh.

 

[dobrien]

Still breaks my heart that Greg never won it. But seven days after this picture, he pulled off Roubaix. Think Wout would sign for that.

We were cheated out of a fantastic finale that year; damn. I was really happy to see him get Roubaix but fact is he would trade that for a Flanders... nice consolation prize though.

 

[noob]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bJgyhQOPZ74


Broken ribs as a yearly occurrence sounds rather extreme

 

[saunaking]

Yeah, we get it. Repeating your personal opinion over and over isn't going to change anyone else's.🙄

all races but the tour should be done virtually, on zwift

 

[senna6541]

It does seem like the way these guys (elite WT pros) race today is pretty f'ing crazy. You better be able to set aside whatever self-preservation instincts you came in with, or you have no shot at winning these days. I guess in the old days you had to be willing to do blood bags and such. Either way you're going to bleed.
By being a racing driver you are under risk all the time. Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people. And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing, we are competing to win.

 

[Nick2413]

My take is that athletes tend to weather these physical and emotional traumas better than fans might expect because they are competitors and have already been through enormous ups and downs already by this point in their careers.

I could see it go both ways. He seems to be at an inflection point in his career and there is starting to be a real sense of urgency to win certain races he’s been on the cusp of for a while. He’s had many highs and knows his worth, but has been on the fringe of something bigger many times without quite getting there and the window is closing. The immense pressure he faces in being a Belgian and the fast accelerating up and comers don’t help. Not quite managing to win the 2 biggest monuments in the sport is a good problem to have, but I imagine these last couple years are killing him inside.

 

[Unchained]

That's ridiculous. Show me a team that has ever told their riders to be at the back at a crucial moment.

May I second that is ridiculous, in all types of racing there are circumstances and mistakes made that cause crashes.
If you had Lewis Hamilton or Valentino Rossi commenting on the crash, it would sound lots like what all involved have said, it happened, moved a little, caused a very disproportionate effect.
Clavicle, sternum and ribs will make full pressure and zone 1000 breathing that takes place in sprinting and time trials probably painful for the Woutster. He did get a plate in his collar bone so he can ride some, w some pressure.
I thought it was obvious that pro bike racing is ridiculously dangerous.. The only padding is in your shorts, the helmet afterthought is just going through the motions, nothing about it from the cheesy sloppy strap to the multiple holes for ventilation make it safe.
And the race course is picked because it's skinny, dirty cobblestones and glass like smooth surfaces have zero to do with the monuments and other classics that old and new fans love, people want off road gravel and nasty Napoleon traveled rocks to ride on.
And there are a couple of posts that say that the peloton is nervous or a nervous place.. Utter BS..do a few pro speed efforts and mistakes are made..
The avoidable mistake Wout can make, besides who said to race at the back!! His self inflicted wound will be doing too much too fast and not having 100% skeletal integrity because his flesh is in awesome shape.. Go for the TDF and go after like a man possessed..

 

[Kwaremonster]

Just my .02, but for me it's because next year he'll be 30 years old and (IMHO) past his top years for something requiring the explosiveness of Flanders; f he was ever going to win it I think this would have been the year. I definitely still think he can win Roubaix but what's the strategy for next year then? Surely they'll have realized the folly of putting all their eggs in one basket but who knows? Anyway, gutted for him. According to Benoot Wout was in the form of his life.. Uggh.

While it's not getting easier and he might lose some explosiveness, I don't see why he can't win Flanders in the coming years. Guys like boonen and cancellara managed. In fact Boonen had one of his best seasons at 31.

And GvA had his moments in the sun around the age of 29-32 and maybe should have won it in 2017 at the age of 31.

And then ofcourse there are always the possibilities that Wout wins it at a twilight point of his career, benefitting from a underdog position, with nobody marking him. The final chapters of his cycling story are not written yet.

I'm predicting he will win Flanders at least once and Roubaix twice in his career. (Let's hope this ages well)..