Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

[Lequack]

Not sure why he would go full in for the TT with no GC ambitions.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

Not sure why he would go full in for the TT with no GC ambitions.

Because it's something he enjoys, is good at, and always want's to have a go. To see how his ITT compares to some of the top ITT'ers. Because he still is wearing the youth jersey and every extra day on the podium is good for the sponsor. Because he wants to test himself in light of the TTT in TDF. And because he could really surprise a lot of people. Last year he put Bjerg at half a minute in a shorter ITT, two years ago he beat Tony Martin.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Not sure why he would go full in for the TT with no GC ambitions.

Because... why not try to win? These riders are actually supposed to be competitors. We know his time trial is pretty good - give it a try.

Just rolling along such a TT is something losers do when you have a sprint day before and one after as well.

 

[Red Rick]

Not sure if sprint potential too or if Dauphine sprint field just that poor.

Maybe a bit of both, but if he could actually win bunch sprints I'd expect him to sprint faster in the classics too

 

[Jagartrott]

Northern classics guys are always good at sprinting. Cancellara, Boonen, Gilbert, MVDP, Kwiatkowski, Naessen, Vanmarcke, Sagan, etc.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Not sure if sprint potential too or if Dauphine sprint field just that poor.

Maybe a bit of both, but if he could actually win bunch sprints I'd expect him to sprint faster in the classics too

Pretty sure the second, most pretty fast hardmen can do what he did today if you have the right wheel. Its still impressive tho.

I look the most forwards to him hitting the breaks on hillier days in the Tour where I think he could grab a stage. There are some quite good opportunities to do that throughout the Tour this year and I think he has it in him to do something similar to Greg when he is at his best (maybe not quite as impressive as his stage in Massif Central in 2016).

 

[Anderis]

Re:

Northern classics guys are always good at sprinting. Cancellara, Boonen, Gilbert, MVDP, Kwiatkowski, Naessen, Vanmarcke, Sagan, etc.

Yeah, especially guys like Vandenbergh.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Not sure if sprint potential too or if Dauphine sprint field just that poor.

Maybe a bit of both, but if he could actually win bunch sprints I'd expect him to sprint faster in the classics too

Pretty sure the second, most pretty fast hardmen can do what he did today if you have the right wheel. Its still impressive tho.

I look the most forwards to him hitting the breaks on hillier days in the Tour where I think he could grab a stage. There are some quite good opportunities to do that throughout the Tour this year and I think he has it in him to do something similar to Greg when he is at his best (maybe not quite as impressive as his stage in Massif Central in 2016).

I just doubt he gets that free role in the Tour.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Not sure if sprint potential too or if Dauphine sprint field just that poor.

Maybe a bit of both, but if he could actually win bunch sprints I'd expect him to sprint faster in the classics too

Pretty sure the second, most pretty fast hardmen can do what he did today if you have the right wheel. Its still impressive tho.

I look the most forwards to him hitting the breaks on hillier days in the Tour where I think he could grab a stage. There are some quite good opportunities to do that throughout the Tour this year and I think he has it in him to do something similar to Greg when he is at his best (maybe not quite as impressive as his stage in Massif Central in 2016).

I just doubt he gets that free role in the Tour.

Then I say Lotto NL are a bunch of retards. Tony Martin can pull the peloton on the flat days, he is not good for that much more nowadays. Wout can help Dylan in the train, pick a few break stages and support Kruijswijk as best as he can.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Not sure if sprint potential too or if Dauphine sprint field just that poor.

Maybe a bit of both, but if he could actually win bunch sprints I'd expect him to sprint faster in the classics too

Pretty sure the second, most pretty fast hardmen can do what he did today if you have the right wheel. Its still impressive tho.

I look the most forwards to him hitting the breaks on hillier days in the Tour where I think he could grab a stage. There are some quite good opportunities to do that throughout the Tour this year and I think he has it in him to do something similar to Greg when he is at his best (maybe not quite as impressive as his stage in Massif Central in 2016).

I just doubt he gets that free role in the Tour.

Then I say Lotto NL are a bunch of retards. Tony Martin can pull the peloton on the flat days, he is not good for that much more nowadays. Wout can help Dylan in the train, pick a few break stages and support Kruijswijk as best as he can.

Never doubt the Rabofail.

 

[Jagartrott]

We're talking about the team that didn't allow Campenaerts to go full in a Giro TT to 'save himself' for Kruijswijk.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Good points both of you. But I dont really get selecting Wout if all you make him do is pull the peloton on the flat days and support Groenewegen and then thats that. Thats just waste of a talent.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re: Re:

Not sure if sprint potential too or if Dauphine sprint field just that poor.

Maybe a bit of both, but if he could actually win bunch sprints I'd expect him to sprint faster in the classics too

Pretty sure the second, most pretty fast hardmen can do what he did today if you have the right wheel. Its still impressive tho.

I look the most forwards to him hitting the breaks on hillier days in the Tour where I think he could grab a stage. There are some quite good opportunities to do that throughout the Tour this year and I think he has it in him to do something similar to Greg when he is at his best (maybe not quite as impressive as his stage in Massif Central in 2016).

He's pretty fast for a non sprinter though. He'll lose from the pure sprinters, and guys like Sagan, Degenkolb, Kristoff, Hagen & van der Poel (though he's beaten the latter in CX sprints). But other than that, he's always got a shot.

Maybe the weather also has something to do with his result in Dauphiné. I don't think rain and cold affect Van Aert much, unlike other riders.

 

[klintE]

Re:

We're talking about the team that didn't allow Campenaerts to go full in a Giro TT to 'save himself' for Kruijswijk.

What? How could that make any sense?

 

[Bolder]

I think it's pretty great that WVA is trying a bunch of different things. Why not ride the TdF? Isn't that something you dream about as a kid? Maybe it's not the best race for him but as noted he could win an intermediate stage and even a bunch sprint with clever tactics. On top of that he's a marquee rider for J-V so the exposure on the world stage is invaluable.

And if I'm reading correctly, he's going to shut down his season after the tour to rest for CX. So why not empty the tank?

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

We're talking about the team that didn't allow Campenaerts to go full in a Giro TT to 'save himself' for Kruijswijk.

What? How could that make any sense?

It didn't. But it happened.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

I think it's pretty great that WVA is trying a bunch of different things. Why not ride the TdF? Isn't that something you dream about as a kid? Maybe it's not the best race for him but as noted he could win an intermediate stage and even a bunch sprint with clever tactics. On top of that he's a marquee rider for J-V so the exposure on the world stage is invaluable.

And if I'm reading correctly, he's going to shut down his season after the tour to rest for CX. So why not empty the tank?

I think he was going to ride something after TDF, but a race of little importance. Can't even remember.

Edit: the Prudential Ride

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Boom shakalaka

 

[KZD]

I expect him to do a great time trial but this is something awesome.

 

[yaco]

An out of this world ITT - No-one could expect this type of performance - Be interesting to see if he replicates this form in the TDF ITT.

 

[Bolder]

That was an inspiring performance. Think I'm going to take up CX next winter...will help me dominate my Sunday morning old-man rides...

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

An out of this world ITT - No-one could expect this type of performance - Be interesting to see if he replicates this form in the TDF ITT.

When i said "much better" on the previous page, i meant top 5. But then Froome crashed and Dumoulin isn't 100% fit, and you get this. He did beat Panzerwagen when he was only 21 years old in a short ITT. He was rather strong in a 20k ITT among the Danish ITT specialists, finishing 2nd last year in the Danmark Rundt, ahead of Bjerg, Toft Madsen, Quaade... We knew he could timetrial. But winning by such and especially by such a margin, i admit, i wasn't expecting that, but i was expecting a good result.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

An out of this world ITT - No-one could expect this type of performance - Be interesting to see if he replicates this form in the TDF ITT.

When i said "much better" on the previous page, i meant top 5. But then Froome crashed and Dumoulin isn't 100% fit, and you get this. He did beat Panzerwagen when he was only 21 years old in a short ITT. He was rather strong in a 20k ITT among the Danish ITT specialists, finishing 2nd last year in the Danmark Rundt, ahead of Bjerg, Toft Madsen, Quaade... We knew he could timetrial. But winning by such and especially by such a margin, i admit, i wasn't expecting that, but i was expecting a good result.

Reckong that if TD was 100% and Froome rode they probably could have done around 34 minutes flat, so it's still an exceptional performance by Van Aert.

 

[jmdirt]

WOW! Nice ride young man!

 

[klintE]

So how much they pay for WVA overall win in TdF?