• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

Page 136 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Benoot and Laporte have both had really good results in Flanders, so I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Obviously they're no Pogacar or Van der Poel, but nobody is. The fact is that they didn't race today like they raced in Omloop or Kuurne. That's not simply a matter of level of competition, it's also a matter of intention.
Im saying theres no way in hell they are actually winning the race. The only other Jumbo rider who can win in my estimation is Dylan van Baarle, he knows the recipe and that is doable Stijn Devolder-style. But blaming Wout that these guys are not showing up today is quite stupid when he on top of it all won the bike race!

Like Benoot and Van Baarle won't just get away for free racing against these monsters like they did earlier in those races. Pogacar will blast it and so will Mathieu, so no matter what your intentions are, youre likely to find yourself in the 2nd and 3rd group. But they need to use their strength in numbers better than today for sure and not rely on Wout to beat them singlehandedly - so its probably an offensive tactic before 2nd last Kwaremont, unless Wout calls it off and have confidence in smacking them like today in the sprint.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Benoot and Laporte have both had really good results in Flanders, so I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Obviously they're no Pogacar or Van der Poel, but nobody is. The fact is that they didn't race today like they raced in Omloop or Kuurne. That's not simply a matter of level of competition, it's also a matter of intention.
They also had issues in key moments (mechanical for Benoot, crash by Van Baarle) and suddenly they didn't even the numerical advantage they had in the opening weekend.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pantani_lives
I think Van Baarle would be great to have in front. But it's hard to get a decent gap when Pogacar keeps blasting every hill.

His former DS was saying Pog didn't follow the plan last year in De Ronde, so I'm curious waht it means. My guess is he attacked too early in de Ronde last year.
That SHOULD be the tactic. Van Barle joining a group before Kwaremont with 50 left and getting a gap before the last deadly 50 km.

I just wonder how hurt he is, hopefully nothing too serious. UAE tactics should just to be to close everything down for Pogacar before Kwaremont, while Alpecin might do the same, but they also have Kragh who might want to go earlier as well. But as with Benoot and Laporte, no way Kragh can win a race like this, even though hes on great form!
 
  • Like
Reactions: SHAD0W93
Im saying theres no way in hell they are actually winning the race. The only other Jumbo rider who can win in my estimation is Dylan van Baarle, he knows the recipe and that is doable Stijn Devolder-style. But blaming Wout that these guys are not showing up today is quite stupid when he on top of it all won the bike race!
I'm not blaming Wout, I'm just saying they race differently when he's there. That's just an obvious fact you can see with your eyes. Van Hooydonck is the exception, and lo and behold, he's the only guy next to Van Aert in the front group.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Maybe thats the case, but as SafeBet noted, they got a bit unlucky as well. It will probably always be like that when you get your superstar classics riders back. Theres just a huge difference doing that in the opening weekend - which has turned into somewhat of a joke to me - and E3 where literally everybody with ambition for Flanders is turning up in the best shape possible.
 
For the second consecutive year Van Aert has won the sprint on the Tiegemberg for the bathroom furniture. He can now furnish two bathrooms: one upstairs and one downstairs. It was probably his wife Sarah who said, "I don't care about the E3, but make sure to win that bathroom furniture!"

Doesn't he part-own a property company that rents out houses? He's careful with his Euros.
 
Im saying theres no way in hell they are actually winning the race. The only other Jumbo rider who can win in my estimation is Dylan van Baarle, he knows the recipe and that is doable Stijn Devolder-style. But blaming Wout that these guys are not showing up today is quite stupid when he on top of it all won the bike race!

Like Benoot and Van Baarle won't just get away for free racing against these monsters like they did earlier in those races. Pogacar will blast it and so will Mathieu, so no matter what your intentions are, youre likely to find yourself in the 2nd and 3rd group. But they need to use their strength in numbers better than today for sure and not rely on Wout to beat them singlehandedly - so its probably an offensive tactic before 2nd last Kwaremont, unless Wout calls it off and have confidence in smacking them like today in the sprint.

Yes, for someone like Benoot or LaPorte, or riders on other teams who fancy having a (slight) chance at winning, they will need to be out in front of the big 3 before the penultimate Kwaremont/Paterburg combo, and then hope they hang around until the finale. Years ago Kristoff described this as his strategy to deal with Cancellara when the later would rule on the Kwaremont.
 
So? Why should a rider like Laporte get this race gifted? Because he happens to be a teammate of Van Aert?
But i'm sure Van Baarle will gift Van Aert the win in Roubaix because he already won Roubaix.
I didn't say Van Aert 'should' have gifted it. But if it's his own decision I can only respect it. If I were a DS I would not have told van Aert to gift it.

I also think if the same scenario plays out in a monument he's gonna put his fist on the table and clean Laporte in that sprint. And that's fine.

The great thing about the monuments is that that scenario is far less likely to play out.
 
I didn't say Van Aert 'should' have gifted it. But if it's his own decision I can only respect it. If I were a DS I would not have told van Aert to gift it.

I also think if the same scenario plays out in a monument he's gonna put his fist on the table and clean Laporte in that sprint. And that's fine.

The great thing about the monuments is that that scenario is far less likely to play out.
The thing is that Van Aert has only won 1 race which is actually above today's race. And that's the Mickey Mouse monument.
 
IMO, this isn't a race to 'gift'.
IMO, massive gesture to his teammate.
IMO, big champions win big races.

The reason to gift stages or 'lesser' races is to thank your mates for helping you win big races.

I don't like this...then again, who cares what I like?!
One thing we don’t know is whether LaPorte has sizable incentives written into his contract for winning a classic, that would pay him a bonus. I don’t know how common this is in cycling—it’s extremely common in US mainstream sports. If I was a teammate who has more sponsorship deals and a bigger salary I might consider that the extra bonus could be meaningful for the other rider. Someone like Laporte isn’t making multi-millions is he?

I doubt this would be the main reason to “gift” but wondering if it could be a factor?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Lol @ all the people offended by Wout's gesture.

Wout's ride was a superb demonstration of strength and magnanimity.

The reactions here, meanwhile, are a superb demonstration of why 30+ year old sport fanatics are typically uninspiring people to be around.

Perhaps it's inevitable.

As grown men, we invest much of our life in a completely passive hobby, waiting for others to give us great sensations through enthralling battles.

And if the show disappoints, which often happens, we feel personally let down.

So the the blaming starts.

The race design is never good enough.

The tactics are always stupid

The manager or director is an idiot.

The athlete is disrepectful.

Welcome to the world of the disgruntled sports fanatic.
 
Lol @ all the people offended by Wout's gesture.

Wout's ride was a superb demonstration of strength and magnanimity.

The reactions here, meanwhile, are a superb demonstration of why 30+ year old sport fanatics are typically uninspiring people to be around.

Perhaps it's inevitable.

As grown men, we invest much of our life in a completely passive hobby, waiting for others to give us great sensations through enthralling battles.

And if the show disappoints, which often happens, we feel personally let down.

So the the blaming starts.

The race design is never good enough.

The tactics are always stupid

The manager or director is an idiot.

The athlete is disrepectful.

Welcome to the world of the disgruntled sports fanatic.
Looks like you took a wrong turn somewhere on your way to a political forum. This is the pro cycling forum. A sport, a physical test to determine who is the best. Where the best actually tries to win.
 
One thing we don’t know is whether LaPorte has sizable incentives written into his contract for winning a classic, that would pay him a bonus. I don’t know how common this is in cycling—it’s extremely common in US mainstream sports. If I was a teammate who has more sponsorship deals and a bigger salary I might consider that the extra bonus could be meaningful for the other rider. Someone like Laporte isn’t making multi-millions is he?

I doubt this would be the main reason to “gift” but wondering if it could be a factor?
Wout should win the race, and then just pay Christofe's bonus then...IMO.
 
Van Aert is pretty frakin beast. He may not have the absolute top level of Van der Poel or Pog in certain type of races, but his stability and versaility is unique.

He has 21 podiums, 8-8-5, in big one day classics including WCRR.

Since 2020 when he really stepped up to the highest level he has in 29 one day races not been lower than 12th. 25 times top 8.

In 2022 he was 1-8-1-12-2-3-2-1-4-1-4 in big one day races.

This season he has been 3-1-2.
 
Van Aert is pretty frakin beast. He may not have the absolute top level of Van der Poel or Pog in certain type of races, but his stability and versaility is unique.

He has 21 podiums, 8-8-5, in big one day classics including WCRR.

Since 2020 when he really stepped up to the highest level he has in 29 one day races not been lower than 12th. 25 times top 8.

In 2022 he was 1-8-1-12-2-3-2-1-4-1-4 in big one day races.

This season he has been 3-1-2.
If he has the kind of power he showed on the cobbled climbs today they might not be able to drop him on Kwaremont like they did Friday. A lot can change with form, illness, etc in a week. Looking forward to next Sunday!
 
Maybe WvA is already 'saturated' in a way that he has demonstrated many times he is the strongest rider in the race (just rewatch the Tours of 2020-2022), and the only thing that could probably still give him goosebumps is PR, RVV and the World's.
If so, there is nothing wrong with giving away a race just below those monuments that he's already won, but the thing is that he hasn't won any of the monuments mentioned above / World's. If MvdP gave away E3 Harelbeke, there wouldn't be such big of a fuss for a rider already having won 2x RVV.
 

TRENDING THREADS