Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

[Wvv]

These last days I've read some stuff like 'He's not a star of cycling' or 'He's not entertaining' and yesterday apparently he deserved nicknames for not being a teamplayer.

Let's throw all of these in the garbage bin, shall we?

Stellar Tour, Wout. Kutgw.

 

[yaco]

VWA was so strong in the last 20kms - It's like Ineos was not in the peleton.

 

[KZD]

VWA was so strong in the last 20kms - It's like Ineos was not in the peleton.

He reminded me of Cancellara in that TTT back in Leopard days

 

[SafeBet]

He single handedly saved the Tour for his team today. Unbelievable ride.

 

[Red Rick]

He single handedly saved the Tour for his team today. Unbelievable ride.

All them GC fools surging like crazy on the cobbles and blowing themselves up

 

[CyclistAbi]

Must say that i am a bit disappointed. On stage 5 i expected van Aert at the front.

 

[stonerider]

Must say that i am a bit disappointed. On stage 5 i expected van Aert at the front.

He would have been at the front if he didn't have to wait on his weak GC guys.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@stonerider

I just stated my opinion. And that is at stage 5 i expected for van Aert to be at front and aggressive. Indeed due to his weak GC guys. That was the point.

 

[SHAD0W93]

WVA was also super lucky he didn’t crash into the back of DSM’s car. If that happened, Vingegaard would have lost a lot of time too.

It would be nice seeing him on a team 100% for him next year.

 

[Hugh Januss]

WVA was also super lucky he didn’t crash into the back of DSM’s car. If that happened, Vingegaard would have lost a lot of time too.

It would be nice seeing him on a team 100% for him next year.

It would have to be a Quickstep type team because he's never winning a GT.

 

[gunara]

Weird to still not admit what a super rider he is. Undermine him all you want but in these days of several crazy talents, only Pog is scarier. His number of road wins doesn't tell everything, this guy could eat planets.

I have problem of can't get myself warmed up towards him (with Pog I can), that's just my luck.

 

[SHAD0W93]

It would have to be a Quickstep type team because he's never winning a GT.

I never said for GC, and earlier in the thread I said with support he could win points and KoM in the same Tour with multiple stages. On top of the support he’d get in every other race.

 

[frisenfruitig]

He doesn't even need full support, not expecting him to be a donkey for GC guys would be enough. Franky I think it's beneath him to work for guys who should be able to take care of themselves and if they can't do that they still have other domestiques to do it.

 

[Wvv]

On a roll again today. Very early though.

 

[Bonimenier]

Selfish van Aert at it again. Even Pozzato wouldn't be like this.

 

[noob]

On Gerraint podcast Wout did discuss eventual GT GC ambitions for the future. He said he definitely thinks about it, so I wonder if he's not testing the waters just a bit more this year.

 

[Bardamu]

on domestique duty for pogacar today

 

[Rackham]

The new Tommy Voeckler.

Just kidding but that strategy was a complete fail today. The end wasn't too hard for him either (he could have won versus Pog on such a finish), so going early ruined any chance of a stage win (& didn't even make UAE work because other teams had their own interests as well).

"Jumbo's failure is now complete" (insert Darth Sidious voice). But seriously, everything people predicted would go wrong as a result of having too many team objectives at once has happened to TJV in this TdF (split leadership weakening both GC guys, points & stage hunting backfiring today).

You just can't ride for points, intermediate points, stages, yellow, GC placement etc. & hope to make the whole thing work.

 

[Big Doopie]

You just can't ride for points, intermediate points, stages, yellow, GC placement etc. & hope to make the whole thing work.

but you do, if you know deep down that you do not stand a chance to be on the top step of the GC podium.

you win as much else as possible.

 

[Rackham]

but you do, if you know deep down that you do not stand a chance to be on the top step of the GC podium.

you win as much else as possible.

But they literally could have won the stage today with Wout van Aert if he'd stayed with the peloton. He blew his best chance at a stage win (& all the points that go along with it). When Michael Matthews was Pog's closest challenger, we know WvA should have been right there.

My guess? WvA went early to make UAE work (to force them to chase & tire them, like Jumbo attempted last year on stage 7's 250km slog). This was an example of Jumbo attempting (& failing) to combine points chasing & GC prospects. It backfired because there's no Van der Poel to work with him in a breakaway (oops, he's cooked in this TdF) & other teams had reasons to chase, thus saving UAE's legs.

Their overall strategy of combining all these goals into one tactic is unworkable in this TdF. WvA lost the jersey (& stage) because the 'brains' in the team car don't know what they're doing.

 

[Big Doopie]

But they literally could have won the stage today with Wout van Aert if he'd stayed with the peloton. He blew his best chance at a stage win (& all the points that go along with it). When Michael Matthews was Pog's closest challenger, we know WvA should have been right there.

My guess? WvA went early to make UAE work (to force them to chase & tire them, like Jumbo attempted last year on stage 7's 250km slog). This was an example of Jumbo attempting (& failing) to combine points chasing & GC prospects. It backfired because there's no Van der Poel to work with him in a breakaway (oops, he's cooked in this TdF) & other teams had reasons to chase, thus saving UAE's legs.

Their overall strategy of combining all these goals into one tactic is unworkable in this TdF. WvA lost the jersey (& stage) because the 'brains' in the team car don't know what they're doing.

oh, i agree, that today was a fail.

but that has nothing to do with WvA competing for the points jersey. that was simply wasted GC effort as other teams (as they always do) came to UAE's "rescue".

i am only talking about JV having several goals. winning GC will require Pog to be ill or have a mishap. in that case they will have Vingo (or possibly Rog) to step into that place. In the meantime, they will win the Green, have a shot at Team prize and placing one and maybe two riders on the podium. pretty good return on their sponsor's money since GC win is frankly a pipedream.

to me, their goals make sense (given Pog).

 

[jmdirt]

The people criticizing Jumbo better not criticize defensive and boring racing at the same time.

And you really believe that considering Jumbo was massively represented in that group while Wout was cruising for a stage? That woulda made no sense what so ever on a stage like this.

The people criticizing Jumbo better not criticize defensive and boring racing at the same time.

I've said similar many times. People criticize 'boring racing', and then they criticize hard racing, and then they criticize risk taking.

 

[Red Rick]

I've said similar many times. People criticize 'boring racing', and then they criticize hard racing, and then they criticize risk taking.

It is almost as if good strategy can change depending on many different variables.

 

[Jumbot]

Bad decision making today, hopefully this failure calms him down a bit so he can distribute his energy in a more useful way and go from "Stupid Van Aert" back to "Sexy Van Aert"...

 

[Tonton]

Wout Van Aert is a Great Champion. He's not The New GVA, he's more. No disrespect to GVA who won a lot and collected big, big wins. Le Tour is the biggest stage, Wout was in yellow and what a performance today! Wout proudly wore the jersey, instead of defending it, he attacked. Chapeau.