Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

[Peter von]

So he was with Vacek, VDP and Pidcock, and not with Alaphilippe when he crashed as I’m sure I read somewhere else. Ala was in the group that fought for the bronze on the final km, Pidcock, VDP and Vacek never made it there.
never a good thing to crash, but also a small positive that the crash didn’t affect his medal chance.

Yeah the medals was long gone when he crashed. He marked MVP beautifully and prevented a last ditch effort from MVP to bridge to Remco(would have been incredibly hard if not impossible to do even if he had gotten free.)

 

[stonerider]

Yeah the medals was long gone when he crashed. He marked MVP beautifully and prevented a last ditch effort from MVP to bridge to Remco(would have been incredibly hard if not impossible to do even if he had gotten free.)

He didn't prevent MVP from bridging...MVP didn't have the watts to bridge to Remco as he, like Wout, wasn't in top shape.

 

[MJR]

So the general consensus is that Worlds this year is too hilly for Wout, right?

With him headed to the Vuelta after the Tour, that's gonna be a lot of fatigue to carry into that race.

 

[Netserk]

So the general consensus is that Worlds this year is too hilly for Wout, right?

Depends. At the very least, he will be a very useful threat to get others to cooperate with Evenepoel.

If no rider goes clear and wins solo, Van Aert can win the race in a sprint.

 

[kingjr]

He didn't prevent MVP from bridging...MVP didn't have the watts to bridge to Remco as he, like Wout, wasn't in top shape.

vdP doesn't have the watts to bridge a 45-second gap to Evenepoel, no matter what shape he's in.

 

[Peter von]

He didn't prevent MVP from bridging...MVP didn't have the watts to bridge to Remco as he, like Wout, wasn't in top shape.

Maybe. Wout certainly prevented him from trying as he sat up when he couldn’t shake Wout(smart move), but MVP did make Pedersen and a lot of others look like tourists on the climb.

But yeah at that point Remco was too far gone already for any wattage MVP (or anyone else) had ever done to make up for; but I don’t think he necessarily knew how big the gap was.

 

[senna6541]

Some truth to that yet… MVDP hasn’t looked on his best this year despite his wins in Ronde and P-R. He did an okay race at LBL but since then very bleak. And then Wout has slowly pieced himself back again but only just that. It would be a very sad day for cycling if these two begin to fade away this early in their careers but clearly they are both not at their best. Should they regain their peaks riders like Remco will not have much to do at races like MSR, SB, RVV and PR and will have serious issues on eg LBL. Only Pog will be a real contender. I would love to see WVA get a big win soon!

CX WC (nearly perfect season), decides race for teammate win at MSR, solo win RVV, solo win PR is a pretty good year for a guy not at his best. LBL, TT's, GTGC, Lombardia, sure. But I doubt MVDP is too worried about the likes of Remco at MSR, SB, RVV or PR. One guy has 7 wins and one guy has zero starts. And if MVDP had started on the road and focused solely on it at the age Remco started he'd likely have 15 wins in those races.

 

[Barkintheeye]

CX WC (nearly perfect season), decides race for teammate win at MSR, solo win RVV, solo win PR is a pretty good year for a guy not at his best. LBL, TT's, GTGC, Lombardia, sure. But I doubt MVDP is too worried about the likes of Remco at MSR, SB, RVV or PR. One guy has 7 wins and one guy has zero starts. And if MVDP had started on the road and focused solely on it at the age Remco started he'd likely have 15 wins in those race

Agree but at the Tour he just didn’t look the same. Now I wish he gets another WC win and prove my doubts wrong. A fight to the line between MVDP and WVA after having obliterated Pog and Remco

 

[proffate]

He is such a loser. Where is his winning mentality? He is always playing the team player card and no one helps him winning sh#t. He should leave Visma and should stop racing with Remco. He neevr gets the chance to fight for the win.

You do realize Wout crashed himself out. Even if that group had been the lead group in the road he wouldn't have medaled.

 

[Valv.Piti]

CX WC (nearly perfect season), decides race for teammate win at MSR, solo win RVV, solo win PR is a pretty good year for a guy not at his best. LBL, TT's, GTGC, Lombardia, sure. But I doubt MVDP is too worried about the likes of Remco at MSR, SB, RVV or PR. One guy has 7 wins and one guy has zero starts. And if MVDP had started on the road and focused solely on it at the age Remco started he'd likely have 15 wins in those races.

If MVDP and Remco does Strade in 2025 in similar shape, Remco wins. And its not even close. RVV is a very interesting prospect for Evenepoel as well.

 

[Oldermanish]

He is such a loser. Where is his winning mentality? He is always playing the team player card and no one helps him winning sh#t. He should leave Visma and should stop racing with Remco. He neevr gets the chance to fight for the win.

Watching how attentive he was tracking Matteo I couldn't help but think it was as important to him that Matteo didn't get back to Remco's wheel. I feel a generational shift and it may, again; upset the Visma Consortium. Will it mean a good rider must leave to get their shot? Yeah, I'm feeling like that may be coming.

 

[Peyroteo94]

His career is going in a very dangerous direction. I'm the only one that think he is downgrading year after year? He seems a shadow of his former self. This guy will never win a monument again if he continues to show this shape in races.

 

[Berniece]

His career is going in a very dangerous direction. I'm the only one that think he is downgrading year after year? He seems a shadow of his former self. This guy will never win a monument again if he continues to show this shape in races.

We've seen many riders coming back from a hard crash and not performing in that same season. I don't make conclusions until I see him next spring.

 

[ppanther92]

We've seen many riders coming back from a hard crash and not performing in that same season. I don't make conclusions until I see him next spring.

Yes, agree. But the point that his career only went down the past two seasons, also holds. So for sure some pressure on him next year.

 

[stonerider]

Yes, agree. But the point that his career only went down the past two seasons, also holds. So for sure some pressure on him next year.

Everyone ages differently but I would say he is past his physical peak. He probably had his physical peak at age 27-28 and now he is 30. It happens and it is called life. He is still a great racer...just not quite as strong as he was a couple years ago.

 

[veganrob]

I'm not the biggest fan of Wout but appreciate his talents. I think he wasted the best years of his career riding for Visma with little to show but accolades. Big deal. pfft

 

[Peyroteo94]

I'm not the biggest fan of Wout but appreciate his talents. I think he wasted the best years of his career riding for Visma with little to show but accolades. Big deal. pfft

This. How can a rider like him be a domestique? Such a waste of his talent. He should be in Soudal, targetting classics and riding the Tour with a free role. But the most important thing is how he lost that spark, he is no longer a fierceful competitor. That desire is gone

 

[Berniece]

This. How can a rider like him be a domestique? Such a waste of his talent. He should be in Soudal, targetting classics and riding the Tour with a free role. But the most important thing is how he lost that spark, he is no longer a fierceful competitor. That desire is gone

He became a father

 

[veganrob]

This. How can a rider like him be a domestique? Such a waste of his talent. He should be in Soudal, targetting classics and riding the Tour with a free role. But the most important thing is how he lost that spark, he is no longer a fierceful competitor. That desire is gone

This exactly.

 

[Valv.Piti]

This. How can a rider like him be a domestique? Such a waste of his talent. He should be in Soudal, targetting classics and riding the Tour with a free role. But the most important thing is how he lost that spark, he is no longer a fierceful competitor. That desire is gone

A free role? No, the whole team should be built around him. From 2019, he could have won the green jersey easily each year Sagan-style and won more stagse on average than he did. Actually a lot more than Sagan did tbf looking at his average when working a lot already.

But thats Wout own choice, just like its Ayuso's choice to sign a 5 year extention or whatever with UAE.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Finally, this is the old WVA. Sprint competition is not great but he was powerful.

 

[SHAD0W93]

GC WVA to save the year for Visma.

 

[TrekCyclist]

I think he can still be a great rider. He had some bad luck with mechanicals / bad crashes the last years. But yeah, gone is gone. Nevertheless, he should still be able to win Roubaix , RVV or SanRemo.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I think he can still be a great rider. He had some bad luck with mechanicals / bad crashes the last years. But yeah, gone is gone. Nevertheless, he should still be able to win Roubaix , RVV or SanRemo.

He IS a great rider, his palmarés just still dont really reflect just how good he has been. 2022 was spring season was it, but he got covid, and 2023 PR was at least a 50/50 in his favour against MVDP.

 

[Wvv]

Vuelta stage win! Happy for Wout. I believe he can still grow into his stellar form coming season, if the bad luck finally stops.