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Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

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Wout the F**k?
You people calling Van Aert fat? We're scrappin' saunaking. Man just feasted on the whole cross field. I'm feeling optimistic about a fantastic classics season, don't ruin my hopes.
Hey I want Wout to finally snag RVV or PR this year, but during the ceremony he just looked big. Maybe he was layering i don't know. But the 2 correndon guys looked way slimmer.

Fat remco won a fistful of gold medals tho, so maybe not so bad
 
No MSR nor Strade for WvA according to Wielerflits. Double Giro, Tour and an early start with some Iberican racing (Jaen, Algarve).

 
No MSR nor Strade for WvA according to Wielerflits. Double Giro, Tour and an early start with some Iberican racing (Jaen, Algarve).

It seems no worlds for him. I believe he will have a free role in the Giro unless Vingegaard goes there. Everything suggest he won't but we never know.
 
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It seems no worlds for him. I believe he will have a free role in the Giro unless Vingegaard goes there. Everything suggest he won't but we never know.
Would be weird that he won't do Worlds, since the national coach said he believes he has a chance to win it, and that he already talked with Evenepoel and WVA about it. It's just that his schedule after the Tour isn't known yet.
 
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It's such a weird decision to not do Milan-Sanremo. I just don't get that.
Yeah, but he has won it and been on the podium twice there. It should be a race where he always has a chance to win. However, given his results he might just want to skip it and train after Kuurne rather than go back and forth to Italy. Build form towards other goals.

I guess he just wants Ronde or PR, both, badly at this point of his career.
 
Same as skipping the CX worlds, however that's a much more understandable decision from a training build-up standpoint.
I'm not a big training build-up connoisseur, but the last two years MvdP managed to do both CX worlds and be in top shape in the spring. What makes it different for WvA? The fact that he has goals later on in the season as well?

Btw, Visma confirmed that Kooij and him are both doing the Giro.
 
Hey I want Wout to finally snag RVV or PR this year, but during the ceremony he just looked big. Maybe he was layering i don't know. But the 2 correndon guys looked way slimmer.

Fat remco won a fistful of gold medals tho, so maybe not so bad
He looks built to win PR. But, and this is a biggie, his team needs to get him some equipment (wheels/tyres) that can hold up to the cobbles. Because he is a bigger guy, he seems to puncture in PR more than MvdP. It's time for his team to invest in some 34mm road tubeless tires for the cobbles of PR.

I think he is too heavy to challenge Pog and MvdP at Flanders.
 
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Yeah, but he has won it and been on the podium twice there. It should be a race where he always has a chance to win. However, given his results he might just want to skip it and train after Kuurne rather than go back and forth to Italy. Build form towards other goals.

I guess he just wants Ronde or PR, both, badly at this point of his career.
Yeah, I get that - and Flamin's points as well - but Van Aert simply hasn't won enough big races to have the privilege to skip Milan-Sanremo. He has one monument win in his career, and should aim to get as many more as possible, whether that's Flanders, Roubaix or Sanremo.
 
I'm not a big training build-up connoisseur, but the last two years MvdP managed to do both CX worlds and be in top shape in the spring. What makes it different for WvA? The fact that he has goals later on in the season as well?

Btw, Visma confirmed that Kooij and him are both doing the Giro.

Nothing. But while Mathieu is chasing the all-time record for CX world titles, another title for Wout has less value I'd say. Besides, Mathieu is the top favourite, so there's less risk involved for him than for Wout.

And apart from that, the CX worlds interferes more with training than just a 1-day road race like Sanremo, as you need at least some specific cx training beforehand, (short) taper period, material and course check etc. In theory, it should be perfectly possible, but I can understand why Wout puts all eggs in the Ronde-Roubaix basket.
 
Yeah, I get that - and Flamin's points as well - but Van Aert simply hasn't won enough big races to have the privilege to skip Milan-Sanremo. He has one monument win in his career, and should aim to get as many more as possible, whether that's Flanders, Roubaix or Sanremo.
I personally think he should race it. He has chance to win it every year. Evidently by his one win and podiums.

Ronde and PR will be harder, but I also get why he wants either of those badly at this point of his career.

And schedule wise he might want training block after opening weekend to prepare for the bulk of the cobbles races. To try to be at his absolute best for Ronde and PR. Maybe he considers skipping MSR and not going to Italy his best chance to win the other races.
 
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