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Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

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Wout and Jasper both did it out of respect! Lol

Valverde vs Wout in Tokyo, cannot wait. Also, is there any route where Wout wouldn't be the favourite (or at least on of the favourites) in a long and hard one day race in this shape? Dont think so.

He'd be a semi favourite imo at anything that ends in a brutally steep ramp (Fleche etc) just cos you've guys like Roglic, Pogacar, Alaphillippe, VDP who have a stronger kick there. And when he has Roglic in his team, you're not going with WVA there anyway bar as a longer range tactic.
 
So, just two years ago Wout was in a hospital bed, not sure if his career would be curtailed. But his performance in this TDF (2021) was even better than last year's. And this, after missing a big chunk of spring season prep because of the appendix surgery. WvA is a tough customer.
Yup, obvious he was well below his best until the first rest day. He was definitely undercooked going in which makes it even better if youre looking at the Olympics next weekend...
 
Mike Teunissen deserves some praise here, i.e. WVA's lead out guy did such a fantastic job here. The timing & positioning from both was impeccable, meanwhile DQS disintegrated entirely (& what was Cavendish doing so far back until the final lap? That made no sense).

In any case, what a weekend for JV & their Tour was totally saved, tbh (it was "fine" all things considered before this weekend, but those two wins really made it way better than anyone hoped after week 1's disasters).
 
Mike Teunissen deserves some praise here, i.e. WVA's lead out guy did such a fantastic job here. The timing & positioning from both was impeccable, meanwhile DQS disintegrated entirely (& what was Cavendish doing so far back until the final lap? That made no sense).

In any case, what a weekend for JV & their Tour was totally saved, tbh (it was "fine" all things considered before this weekend, but those two wins really made it way better than anyone hoped after week 1's disasters).
I think their Tour was saved before today with 2nd, 2 wins, and one being ventoux. This was just the massive cherry on top in my opinion.
 
So, just two years ago Wout was in a hospital bed, not sure if his career would be curtailed. But his performance in this TDF (2021) was even better than last year's. And this, after missing a big chunk of spring season prep because of the appendix surgery. WvA is a tough customer.
Think his climbing was actually a bit worse (strange thing to say after winning the Ventoux stage) but this freed him up for other things a bit.
 
individual stage wins

2019 1
2020 2
2021 3

Definitely more pressure on Jumbo to have both LaPorte and Teunissen in the Tour squad next year. If the main title sponsor is serious about increasing their Belgian market share, that is. Roglic has many fans, but Van Aert is the most popular if their social media presence is anything to go by. More Van Aert wins = more money.

Add in Affini too and you have a sprint train. WVA could have won stage 10 to Valence with a better lead-out. Didn't even contest most bunch sprints.

Sure, the 2 fastest sprinters weren't there, but they can't win every single flat stage.

The team will probably go all-in for GC, though, if no one stops them. Thinking they can stop Pogacar with Roglic & Vingegaard.
 
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Yeah even with 2 GC-contenders next year, Wout absolutely needs to get a decent amount on freedom. If they make him a slave (like Danish commentators apparantly wants to do since Vingegaard rode well), then he should just get the *** out and find a team which is devoted to him (ala Sagan at Bora) and try to contest half of the stages and green. Thats what I would do honestly, and Im pretty sure such a team will be out there.
 

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