Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

[Red Rick]

He is more talented indeed, but all-round. In this specific races (classics), he isn't.

I think he's as talented for De Ronde at least but the competition is also better now than it has been maybe ever in de Ronde.

I also think Roubaix is more different from De Ronde now than it used to be.

And I wonder how much mass and muscle really matters in that race given that nobody light really races it, and the only thing that really seperates it is that it is not built around 1-3 minutes W/kg surges that basically select the winning candidates for nearly every other race.

 

[CyclistAbi]

For me is more of a question if a rider is close enough to win some race. And in regards to mentioned one day races. For me van Aert is close enough. Will he win all? Who knows. But the idea he could not. That just doesn't make much sense to me. Personally i do expect he will win some of the mentioned races during his career.

 

[Nick2413]

I think he's as talented for De Ronde at least but the competition is also better now than it has been maybe ever in de Ronde.

I also think Roubaix is more different from De Ronde now than it used to be.

And I wonder how much mass and muscle really matters in that race given that nobody light really races it, and the only thing that really seperates it is that it is not built around 1-3 minutes W/kg surges that basically select the winning candidates for nearly every other race.

It would be interesting to see some of the best light riders ride it but it’s basically a 7 hour version of a cobbled time trial, at some point pure wattage has to take over. Whenever a race isn’t decided by W/kg surges it’ll always favor the bulldozers.

Edit - you’re prob talking about Ronde, well I would definitely agree, the ideal rider is probably halfway between PR and Lombardia physique wise

 

[theyoungest]

He is more talented indeed, but all-round. In this specific races (classics), he isn't.

Difficult to say of course, but I can't imagine Boonen dropping Van Aert (or Van der Poel and Pogacar, for that matter) on a cobbled climb.

 

[Red Rick]

It would be interesting to see some of the best light riders ride it but it’s basically a 7 hour version of a cobbled time trial, at some point pure wattage has to take over. Whenever a race isn’t decided by W/kg surges it’ll always favor the bulldozers.

I don't think it's a huge requisite per se. There's been plenty of contenders near 70kg or below 70kg, like Langeveld or Stybar.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

I think he's as talented for De Ronde at least but the competition is also better now than it has been maybe ever in de Ronde.

I also think Roubaix is more different from De Ronde now than it used to be.

And I wonder how much mass and muscle really matters in that race given that nobody light really races it, and the only thing that really seperates it is that it is not built around 1-3 minutes W/kg surges that basically select the winning candidates for nearly every other race.

Is the field better these days or where Boonen and Cancellara just so much better than their peers compared to MVDp, DVB and WVA's opponents?

 

[tobydawq]

Is the field better these days or where Boonen and Cancellara just so much better than their peers compared to MVDp, DVB and WVA's opponents?

The field is better.

 

[Nick2413]

The field is better.

Is the logical conclusion that in another 10 years or so as the field continues to get stronger and stronger, there will never be dominant riders?

 

[Netserk]

The field is better.

Is Van Baarle better than Pozzato?

 

[Red Rick]

The field is better.

I also think their peaks at the cobbles didn't really coincide much. Boonen won almost all he won between 2005-2009 with 2012 being the one exception of a year. Cancellara won all his cobbled monuments after 2009 with the exception of Roubaix in 2006. In addition, 2012 the year Boonen won the double again was also the year Cancellara crashed out of Vlaanderen and Roubaix. They only finished int he same top 5 in De Ronde in 2010 and 2011.

 

[Red Rick]

Is Van Baarle better than Pozzato?

Uh

Yes?

 

[tobydawq]

Is Van Baarle better than Pozzato?

Yes.

And there are also people like Asgreen to contend with. So it's both better and deeper.

 

[Blanco]

Uh

Yes?

No.

 

[Blanco]

Yes.

And there are also people like Asgreen to contend with. So it's both better and deeper.

And Asgreen is no better then Ballan. Boonen and Cance especially had to deal with Sagan and GVA in latter part of their careers.
So I wouldn't say that field is that much stronger.

 

[topcat]

Is van Baarle better than van Aert on cobbles?

 

[Billie]

Ballan, Pozzata, Flecha and co was loaded field in the early Boonen years. They are not to be underrated.

The Boonen years were earlier than Cancellara years. I think Boonen had a lot more competition than Cancellara (especially 13-14 was not stacked fields).

One big difference anyway is that it was easy to take Hincapie, Hoste, Flecha to the finish line, they were always happy to work to stay away and no threat at all to win a 2 or 3 man sprint.

 

[Billie]

Is van Baarle better than van Aert on cobbles?

His palmares in cobbled classics is better anyway.

 

[Netserk]

Ballan, Pozzata, Flecha and co was loaded field in the early Boonen years. They are not to be underrated.

The Boonen years were earlier than Cancellara years. I think Boonen had a lot more competition than Cancellara (especially 13-14 was not stacked fields).

One big difference anyway is that it was easy to take Hincapie, Hoste, Flecha to the finish line, they were always happy to work to stay away and no threat at all to win a 2 or 3 man sprint.

Hoste is the archetypical bridesmaid.

 

[Netserk]

I also find it plausible that change in tires has made the cobbles less specialised. Maybe Bettini would be no worse than Alaphilippe is now if they were born the same year.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Van Aert is about equal to Pozzato obviously

 

[Blanco]

Van Aert is about equal to Pozzato obviously

But only in classics

 

[topcat]

What’s the betting that Wout wins no monuments this year and goes bananas in the tour?

 

[topcat]

Wout = Pozzato
Roglic = Rominger
Remco = Merckx
Nibali = Gandhi

 

[Netserk]

Nibali = Gandhi

Nibali = Queen Victoria

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Wout = Pozzato
Roglic = Rominger
Remco = Merckx
Nibali = Gandhi

Fausto = Fausto