Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

[Jungle Cycle]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXnGoxfwF5s

 

[ice&fire]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXnGoxfwF5s

I'm disappointed they didn't include an excerpt from the memorable 2020 PDBF

 

[Blanco]

Tom Boonen: "I hear he (Van Aert) couldn't do better this year, but I don't agree with that. The only thing missing this year is a Monument, they say. But that’s also all that matters. Someone of his level is riding to win those races. I don’t want to be too tough, he was having a great spring and then he went down with COVID at a crucial moment. Make no mistake, time is ticking by. I am still convinced he will succeed in winning those (Monuments), but will he win it multiple times? Champions race for those kind of records."

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Tom Boonen: "I hear he (Van Aert) couldn't do better this year, but I don't agree with that. The only thing missing this year is a Monument, they say. But that’s also all that matters. Someone of his level is riding to win those races. I don’t want to be too tough, he was having a great spring and then he went down with COVID at a crucial moment. Make no mistake, time is ticking by. I am still convinced he will succeed in winning those (Monuments), but will he win it multiple times? Champions race for those kind of records."

Wise words from Bonnen, the best classics rider of this century, and a guy who understand racing. He knows that Ban Aert is wasting his potential by riding like Pozzato.

 

[tobydawq]

Wise words from Bonnen, the best classics rider of this century, and a guy who understand racing. He knows that Ban Aert is wasting his potential by riding like Pozzato.

He is not riding like Pozzato. There is no similarity between the two. Get over it.

 

[Boes]

While he starts his CX season this weekend, a CX season whose main goal is the WC in february Hoogerheide, the first indications of his road season start to leak.

• probably no Flemish cobbles in first weekend of the classics: no Omloop
• Italian approach with Strade - Tirreno - MSR
• Main goal monuments

Hopefully he doesn't attempt GC in Tirreno as he did 2 years ago. He might regret it a couple of weeks later in Flanders and Roubaix.

 

[Andre]

A Paris-Roubaix victory would be well deserved.

 

[stonerider]

Hopefully he doesn't attempt GC in Tirreno as he did 2 years ago. He might regret it a couple of weeks later in Flanders and Roubaix.

Wout normally handles the physical stress from stage racing way better than MvdP. I suspect Wout has more slow twitch muscle fibers than MvdP which makes him more resilient to high volume workloads.

 

[Red Rick]

Wout normally handles the physical stress from stage racing way better than MvdP. I suspect Wout has more slow twitch muscle fibers than MvdP which makes him more resilient to high volume workloads.

I really don't think their difference is down that much to twitch fiber compositions. They have competed in the same races and niches for many many years.

 

[stonerider]

I really don't think their difference is down that much to twitch fiber compositions. They have competed in the same races and niches for many many years.

Muscle fiber typology substantially influences time to recover from high-intensity exercise | Journal of Applied Physiology

Human fast-twitch muscle fibers generate high power in a short amount of time but are easily fatigued, whereas slow-twitch fibers are more fatigue resistant. The transfer of this knowledge to coaching is hampered by the invasive nature of the current evaluation of muscle typology by biopsies...

journals.physiology.org

 

[Red Rick]

Muscle fiber typology substantially influences time to recover from high-intensity exercise | Journal of Applied Physiology

Human fast-twitch muscle fibers generate high power in a short amount of time but are easily fatigued, whereas slow-twitch fibers are more fatigue resistant. The transfer of this knowledge to coaching is hampered by the invasive nature of the current evaluation of muscle typology by biopsies...

journals.physiology.org

The study you're citing is much more akin to comparing recovery between road sprinters and track sprinters.

Their relative similarity as riders, and the fact that they are both elite endurance cyclists makes it nearly impossible for fibre type to be the big differentiating difference between Van der Poel and Van Aert.

The clear physiological difference in my opinion is that Van Aert is better at consistent threshold efforts, while MvdP is probably better at uphill accelerations. But Van der Poels "underperformance" in GTs and stuff is 100% down to training and specific preperation.

If road sprinters can do back to back GTs without too much trouble, so can Van der Poel.

 

[meat puppet]

The clear physiological difference in my opinion is that Van Aert is better at consistent threshold efforts, while MvdP is probably better at uphill accelerations. But Van der Poels "underperformance" in GTs and stuff is 100% down to training and specific preperation.

Not to nitpick too much, but you are describing a performance difference (outputs). The underlying physiology (inputs) is the black box, as it were.

IMHO it could be plausible to hypothesise that MVDP is more of a fast twitch assaulter-type, while wva has a more slow twitch composition. The description fits both performance signatures well. But the explanatory power of this kind of reductivist reasoning would probably be low, as they are both first and foremost super adapters to performance needs. I mean, it took MVDP a couple months to get literally from the couch to withstanding a long range pogacar in de Ronde. Some serious slow twitch capacity there...

So, there is more to recovery than fiber type composition and, shock horror, training can induce significant aerobic adaptation to fast twitch fibers too.

Tldr: agreed with RR that if MVDP so wished, he could probably significantly improve gt recovery / performance, or TTing.

 

[Barkintheeye]

I really don't think their difference is down that much to twitch fiber compositions. They have competed in the same races and niches for many many years.

Well, as similar as they may be they also have their differences. While MVDP has some incredible "VO2 power" (for lack of better label, the 2-6 minute max power) and also repetitive such, Van Aert has superior "sustainable power" (FTP/aerobic power). Exactly what that comes down to isn't easy to tell but "twitch fiber" could definitely be part of it. Then it could be Vlamax (which also correlates w twitch fibre) or just variations in daily performance or something else but clearly they are different, that's quite apparent.

Having also raced hundred of CX races and probably spent thousands of hours practicing CX technique they are still different with MVDP being the more skilled, and that in almost any situation and on any type of ground. Why that is I am happy to learn from the more educated.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Some people have an aptitude for that type of thing; whether its better hand/eye co-ordination - and it comes more natural to them. Some enjoy practising and make it fun, others do it because they know they have to.

 

[KOM]

The study you're citing is much more akin to comparing recovery between road sprinters and track sprinters.

Their relative similarity as riders, and the fact that they are both elite endurance cyclists makes it nearly impossible for fibre type to be the big differentiating difference between Van der Poel and Van Aert.

The clear physiological difference in my opinion is that Van Aert is better at consistent threshold efforts, while MvdP is probably better at uphill accelerations. But Van der Poels "underperformance" in GTs and stuff is 100% down to training and specific preperation.

If road sprinters can do back to back GTs without too much trouble, so can Van der Poel.

Do you think an in form VdP couldve held WvA's wheel on TdF stage 4 this year? Just generally curious, those type of efforts should suit vdP aswell but vA was such an animal that day that im not really sure.

 

[stonerider]

Do you think an in form VdP couldve held WvA's wheel on TdF stage 4 this year? Just generally curious, those type of efforts should suit vdP aswell but vA was such an animal that day that im not really sure.

Absolutely not. MvdP was in terrible shape during the TdF.

 

[Red Rick]

Absolutely not. MvdP was in terrible shape during the TdF.

The question literally says in form

Do you think an in form VdP couldve held WvA's wheel on TdF stage 4 this year? Just generally curious, those type of efforts should suit vdP aswell but vA was such an animal that day that im not really sure.

I remember looking at the Strava data, and it was 1 minute 46 something at 30kph still. I think if MvdP in top shape starts on WvAs wheel there he never gets dropped.

 

[KOM]

The question literally says in form


I remember looking at the Strava data, and it was 1 minute 46 something at 30kph still. I think if MvdP in top shape starts on WvAs wheel there he never gets dropped.

That basically means both of them are (by quite some margin) the best in the world for those type of efforts? I know Pog was far back etc, but still its the TdF field and no one else could. I guess peak Alaphillipe doesnt get dropped either.

 

[Red Rick]

That basically means both of them are (by quite some margin) the best in the world for those type of efforts? I know Pog was far back etc, but still its the TdF field and no one else could. I guess peak Alaphillipe doesnt get dropped either.

Adam Yates and Jonas Vingegaard exploded on the last minute, I don't have either in the top 10 on a 100 second climb tbh.

 

[Netserk]

MvdP wouldn’t have been in position not to have been dropped, no matter his form.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Going by one of his recent Strava posts, he's been testing new bikes, and as there were no photos, with possibly Sram groupsets.

 

[KZD]

Van Aert's calendar for 2023 was revealed in Jumbo presentation

• Strade Bianche
• Tirreno Adriatico
• Milan San Remo
• E3 Harelbeke
• Ghent Wevelgem
• Ronde van Vlaanderen
• Paris Roubaix
• Tour de Suisse
• Tour de France
• Worlds RR
• Worlds TT

After that, still unknown

Seems like a good calendar with the only surprise being replacing Dauphiné for Suisse. His biggest goals will be Flanders and Roubaix in the spring and then the Tour where he will prioritise stages instead of the green jersey in order to save something for the Worlds. Afterwards it would be nice if he race Benelux Tour and maybe finally giving Lombardia a shot to finish the season.

It will be almost impossible for him to have such a successful Tour as this year but if he finally wins Flanders or Roubaix, I would say that would make his season more successful at least if he can win something like Strade again or the Worlds TT as well.

 

[Red Rick]

Van Aert's calendar for 2023 was revealed in Jumbo presentation

• Strade Bianche
• Tirreno Adriatico
• Milan San Remo
• E3 Harelbeke
• Ghent Wevelgem
• Ronde van Vlaanderen
• Paris Roubaix
• Tour de Suisse
• Tour de France
• Worlds RR
• Worlds TT

After that, still unknown

Seems like a good calendar with the only surprise being replacing Dauphiné for Suisse. His biggest goals will be Flanders and Roubaix in the spring and then the Tour where he will prioritise stages instead of the green jersey in order to save something for the Worlds. Afterwards it would be nice if he race Benelux Tour and maybe finally giving Lombardia a shot to finish the season.

It will be almost impossible for him to have such a successful Tour as this year but if he finally wins Flanders or Roubaix, I would say that would make his season more successful at least if he can win something like Strade or the Worlds TT as well.

Doing Strade again is nice. I think Van Aert should consider skipping GW. Suisse makes sense instead of Dauphine if you want to peak a little bit after the Tour.

With the WC being just after the Tour, the schedule after that is just a void of any goals. I'd almost say just yolo Vuelta, pick a few stages and do a few turns for Roglic.

 

[Big Doopie]

Glad he won’t prioritize the green jersey (he may win it anyway).

Glad he will prioritize the cobble monuments.

I understand that he can have WC as a goal, but I do hope he does not think they should do anything other than the tactic they had this year and should have used in 2021.

In 2021, Remco was actually on one of his few transcendent days that year.

WvA winning should only come out of other teams wearing themselves out chasing Remco. WvA does no work and sprints from small or even large group. But if the chase does not organize I hope he will once again allow Remco his chance and not expect it to now be “his turn”.

 

[tobydawq]

Glad he won’t prioritize the green jersey (he may win it anyway).

Glad he will prioritize the cobble monuments.

I understand that he can have WC as a goal, but I do hope he does not think they should do anything other than the tactic they had this year and should have used in 2021.

In 2021, Remco was actually on one of his few transcendent days that year.

WvA winning should only come out of other teams wearing themselves out chasing Remco. WvA does no work and sprints from small or even large group. But if the chase does not organize I hope he will once again allow Remco his chance and not expect it to now be “his turn”.

So Wout can never be allowed to go for the rainbow without being considered selfish?