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Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

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Wout van Aert (unfortunately) said he won’t be going for a GC at the Giro. The effort it takes to become fifth is not worth it for him. He’ll ride the Giro but will focus on stage wins.
Not a wout fan, but a fan of spectacle, and that strategy is fine by me. I am curious to see how many wins a rider of that caliber and versatility can rack up when let loose from team duties.
 
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Not a wout fan, but a fan of spectacle, and that strategy is fine by me. I am curious to see how many wins a rider of that caliber and versatility can rack up when let loose from team duties.
Likely a lot, and the giro version of the green jersey. Don't know the route, but my guess is he'll also check off the pink jersey at some point early. Of course none of it will mean jack squat if not accompanied by at least one Monument, Olympic Gold or WC...
 
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Not a wout fan, but a fan of spectacle, and that strategy is fine by me. I am curious to see how many wins a rider of that caliber and versatility can rack up when let loose from team duties.
He will be doing all the work himself unless Visma dedicates some support riders to give him some leadouts and get in the break. I hope they've targeted some stages for him and do that.
 
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Just what you would say if you were going for GC
Not at all, he said it in a podcast where he more or less indicated that he doesn't believe it's possible for him to win or even podium a GT, because he's just too heavy. 77 kgs at his very lightest and anything below that starts to become unhealthy. And if he's not realistically going to win, he doesn't believe it's worth the sacrifice. Also, his main goal are the classics, just a month before the Giro, so he's not even going to try to lose those few extra kgs because it would hurt them in his main goal.
 
Not at all, he said it in a podcast where he more or less indicated that he doesn't believe it's possible for him to win or even podium a GT, because he's just too heavy. 77 kgs at his very lightest and anything below that starts to become unhealthy. And if he's not realistically going to win, he doesn't believe it's worth the sacrifice. Also, his main goal are the classics, just a month before the Giro, so he's not even going to try to lose those few extra kgs because it would hurt them in his main goal.
I hope you are right, I personally think he needs to focus on the classics and and not GC, not for him or for Jonas. Too much talent to not spend it wisely.
 
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Giro and Vuelta confirmed, no Tour.

But Kooij will also go to the Giro. I can't imagine Wout being too thrilled about that. Does he then have to do leadouts like in Britain? I guess the points jersey is off the table, then.
If Van der Poel can do leadouts for an entire Tour de France, surely Van Aert can do one here or there in the Giro. Who cares about the points jersey in the Giro anyway.
 
WvA I seem to remember saying that Flanders and P-Roubaix were his big goals for next year, and I just see that they've reconned som cobbles yesterday -
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...paris-roubaix-cobbles-following-training-camp
The Dutch team recently had a training camp in Spain and now the riders travel back from it. The team will have it's official presentation in Amsterdam on the 21st of December, but some of the riders have been booked in another important appointment - a first recon of Paris-Roubaix. This comes after a few weeks ago, some of the team's riders also gathered in Belgium and rode the Tour of Flanders.
 
If Van der Poel can do leadouts for an entire Tour de France, surely Van Aert can do one here or there in the Giro. Who cares about the points jersey in the Giro anyway.
A lot of people?

And I don't think Van der Poel should be reduced to leadout man either. BUT Van der Poel wouldn't be able to win the flat stages himself, whereas the same is not true for Van Aert, so there's a big difference there.
 
Amstel is to appease the sponsors as it is a Dutch team and no LBL in a season with the Giro makes sense but no Sanremo its surprising and reduces Van Aert's chances of getting a major win this season.
I also think it is a shame that he doesn't do Sanremo, since it is one of my favourite races. But I think it's absencse from his programme is because he will do an Altitude camp between opening weekend and e3 harelboke. Sanremo would cut that break down by 6 days
 
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