Next time, they should consider if aiming to ride like hell, without the capacity to do so, in a Micky Mouse race, on a segment they consider very dangerous themselves, is worth the increased risk, with the big race looming 4 days later.
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ManicJack
BANNED
Yeah, we get it. Repeating your personal opinion over and over isn't going to change anyone else's.🙄
I think the way to race these smaller WT classics, if you are one of the top 3 guys for Flanders and roubaix, is to attack early to truly test your form, get the best training affect, and minimize your time scrambling for position. This is what Van der poel always does. It clearly doesn't come naturally to a guy like wout van art however, who I have criticised heavily in the past for his defensive racing on the classics.
Maybe it is different if you are a second tier classics contender who is fighting for a win in any race to make the spring a success. But WVA skipped Strade + Tirreno + Sanremo + gent wevelgem because he wanted to put everything on flanders and Roubaix. If you are doing dwars door vlanderen get out and attack the race early, split it up, show how strong you are !
Difficult to forget cancelara absolutely dominating E3 in 2013 before pulling out of gent wevelgem halfway through the race. Then he dominated the next 2 races he did...
I know they mean well, but I would hate for someone to tell me to "come back stronger" in that situation. Like let me try to deal with this *** agonizing pain first please, ok?
ManicJack
BANNED
Anyway, I don't understand why people are saying it could be the end of wva chances to win Flanders or Roubaix. All the top classics guys had at least one spring where they crashed out of the big races in a prep race on great form. To come back and win one of these races would be a beautiful redemption for him. The most important thing is not to rush a comeback or recovery to try win some forgettable giro or tour stage, when he has some good years left in his career and many big races to win
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True—or in some instances (Pogacar at LBL, Cancellara at RvV) crashed out early in the race they were targeting before real racing even started.
Ok Wout.
Recover in a relax way. Do some minor races in June, early July. Go to altitude. Come down from your Tenerife mountain to win the olympic title. Get your long desired Ronde van Vlaanderen next year with a golden bike and helmet.
Cheers.
Recover in a relax way. Do some minor races in June, early July. Go to altitude. Come down from your Tenerife mountain to win the olympic title. Get your long desired Ronde van Vlaanderen next year with a golden bike and helmet.
Cheers.
It's almost like some people don't realize that racing is some of the best training you can do...Wout was not reinventing the wheel or training...I mean, I think...and I'm just spitballing here...that Wout and his coach felt like racing yesterday was good for his chances in RVV. I mean, sure, De Lie only wants to race the most important races, but Wout is no De Lie...he actually has a real training program, and coaches, and some actual knowledge of what is required to win something. Why was it that Mathieu raced E3 and G-W, then? Stupidity on his part...he could have crashed. <curretly trying to roll my eyes back far enough to see my cerebellum>
I only caught the news yesterday evening. Man I'm honestly happy not to be a big Wout fan, it must be so unbelievably frustrating. Something always happens. Mechanicals, crashes, covid, just something. The gap between how strong he is and how comparatively weak his palmares looks is starting to get really noticable.
Still breaks my heart that Greg never won it. But seven days after this picture, he pulled off Roubaix. Think Wout would sign for that.That doesn't bring you good luck though.
Just my .02, but for me it's because next year he'll be 30 years old and (IMHO) past his top years for something requiring the explosiveness of Flanders; f he was ever going to win it I think this would have been the year. I definitely still think he can win Roubaix but what's the strategy for next year then? Surely they'll have realized the folly of putting all their eggs in one basket but who knows? Anyway, gutted for him. According to Benoot Wout was in the form of his life.. Uggh.
Broken ribs as a yearly occurrence sounds rather extreme
all races but the tour should be done virtually, on zwift
It does seem like the way these guys (elite WT pros) race today is pretty f'ing crazy. You better be able to set aside whatever self-preservation instincts you came in with, or you have no shot at winning these days. I guess in the old days you had to be willing to do blood bags and such. Either way you're going to bleed.
By being a racing driver you are under risk all the time. Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people. And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing, we are competing to win.
By being a racing driver you are under risk all the time. Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people. And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing, we are competing to win.
I could see it go both ways. He seems to be at an inflection point in his career and there is starting to be a real sense of urgency to win certain races he’s been on the cusp of for a while. He’s had many highs and knows his worth, but has been on the fringe of something bigger many times without quite getting there and the window is closing. The immense pressure he faces in being a Belgian and the fast accelerating up and comers don’t help. Not quite managing to win the 2 biggest monuments in the sport is a good problem to have, but I imagine these last couple years are killing him inside.
May I second that is ridiculous, in all types of racing there are circumstances and mistakes made that cause crashes.
If you had Lewis Hamilton or Valentino Rossi commenting on the crash, it would sound lots like what all involved have said, it happened, moved a little, caused a very disproportionate effect.
Clavicle, sternum and ribs will make full pressure and zone 1000 breathing that takes place in sprinting and time trials probably painful for the Woutster. He did get a plate in his collar bone so he can ride some, w some pressure.
I thought it was obvious that pro bike racing is ridiculously dangerous.. The only padding is in your shorts, the helmet afterthought is just going through the motions, nothing about it from the cheesy sloppy strap to the multiple holes for ventilation make it safe.
And the race course is picked because it's skinny, dirty cobblestones and glass like smooth surfaces have zero to do with the monuments and other classics that old and new fans love, people want off road gravel and nasty Napoleon traveled rocks to ride on.
And there are a couple of posts that say that the peloton is nervous or a nervous place.. Utter BS..do a few pro speed efforts and mistakes are made..
The avoidable mistake Wout can make, besides who said to race at the back!! His self inflicted wound will be doing too much too fast and not having 100% skeletal integrity because his flesh is in awesome shape.. Go for the TDF and go after like a man possessed..
While it's not getting easier and he might lose some explosiveness, I don't see why he can't win Flanders in the coming years. Guys like boonen and cancellara managed. In fact Boonen had one of his best seasons at 31.Just my .02, but for me it's because next year he'll be 30 years old and (IMHO) past his top years for something requiring the explosiveness of Flanders; f he was ever going to win it I think this would have been the year. I definitely still think he can win Roubaix but what's the strategy for next year then? Surely they'll have realized the folly of putting all their eggs in one basket but who knows? Anyway, gutted for him. According to Benoot Wout was in the form of his life.. Uggh.
And GvA had his moments in the sun around the age of 29-32 and maybe should have won it in 2017 at the age of 31.
And then ofcourse there are always the possibilities that Wout wins it at a twilight point of his career, benefitting from a underdog position, with nobody marking him. The final chapters of his cycling story are not written yet.
I'm predicting he will win Flanders at least once and Roubaix twice in his career. (Let's hope this ages well)..
I mean the explosiveness thing.. Valverde was still pretty explosive at 38.
It doesn't need to go. Wout van Aert could be at a great level for years. Decline mostly happens because the fire is gone. Some cyclists can go on for years more than the average and still have a very high level. I don't think Wout "only has 3/4 chances" left. All depends on his internal motivation.
It doesn't need to go. Wout van Aert could be at a great level for years. Decline mostly happens because the fire is gone. Some cyclists can go on for years more than the average and still have a very high level. I don't think Wout "only has 3/4 chances" left. All depends on his internal motivation.
I think he shouldn't rush back to racing. Wout should take his time to recover and then do a full cyclocross season.
Terpstra, Cancellara, Boonen, Devolder, Gilbert, all riders that won RvV when they were 32 or older. I know the peloton is getting relatively younger, but with monuments I would still consider experience as key. Look at how Degenkolb was shining like a diamond in PR last year. Pretty convinced WvA can still win multiple monuments, although I see PR as the race that suits his abilities best.
Explosiveness is a super badly defined term generally anyway. Peak power and 20s power goes down more so than 1 minute-3 minute power. Valverde stopped doing real bunch sprints before he turned 30
Boonen not winning RvV after 31 is irrelevant. They are not nearly the same rider type. Boonen stopped competing in RvV because he was never all that great on the modern RvV route anyway and the game passed him by. Especially with newer bike setups being more forgiving for lighter riders on cobbles, RvV is way more of a hilly classic than it used to be. Like Tom Boonen would go to Eneco Tour every year and get murdered on the Muur van Geraardsbergen because in Eneco Tour they would actually drive it from bottom to top whereas in RvV they would just pubcrawl until the steep part starts.
I don't see why Van Aert can't be this level until his mid 30s. I don't see any younger dudes catching up to the Big 3. But this was Pogless RvV and therefor a bigger wasted opportunity than the last 2 years.
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