Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

[Berniece]

Overview of times WVA helped a teammate win a GC

Eindzege nodig in de Tour, Giro of Parijs-Nice? Bel Wout van Aert: "Hij is half mens, half brommer" | sporza

Wout van Aert heeft zich in de Giro nog maar eens de modelploegmaat getoond. Stonden Jonas Vingegaard en Primoz Roglic al bij hem in het krijt, dan dankt ook Simon Yates zijn roze trui voor een deel aan WVA. Een overzicht van de uitspattingen van de Belgische luxeknecht.

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[CyclistAbi]

Overview of times WVA helped a teammate win a GC

Eindzege nodig in de Tour, Giro of Parijs-Nice? Bel Wout van Aert: "Hij is half mens, half brommer" | sporza

Wout van Aert heeft zich in de Giro nog maar eens de modelploegmaat getoond. Stonden Jonas Vingegaard en Primoz Roglic al bij hem in het krijt, dan dankt ook Simon Yates zijn roze trui voor een deel aan WVA. Een overzicht van de uitspattingen van de Belgische luxeknecht.

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If all involved pull for him at the Worlds it's a given.

 

[AmRacer]

If all involved pull for him at the Worlds it's a given.

Wout helped Remco win Olympic gold.

 

[jmdirt]

Another phenomenal GT performance that leaves his fans conflicted.

He's a helluva helper, but there isn't a "thanks, mate, you were great" column on one's career achievements.

Intrinsic > Extrinsic

Financial rewards (also extrinsic), intrinsic+$$ is WAY bigger than palmares.

 

[jmdirt]

Isn't this a forum to share our personal view of cycling? Or I'm not allowed to have a different opinion? For me (and history shows that), domestiques are not remembered at all (very few are), their legacy is not remembered for their work to other riders (I challenge anyone who just started watching cycling right now or 5 years ago, to say who is, for example, Vanendert without going to search). Is Ullrich remembered for working to Riis in 96? Or Cancellara to Andy, doing that incredible ride in 2010? I don't think so. Riders with WVA's ability, with a big caliber are not remembered for what he did two days ago.

WvA will be remembered for being a winner who was also a great teammate. You are correct that a racer who spends their entire career only working for the team will not be remembered by most, but WvA isn't that guy.

History is a bad argument because before the www we never heard about anything but the winner unless we dove in, but most people don't.

You ask if JA or FC will be remembered, yes, you just posted about events other than their wins didn't you? I'll be dead by the time we are discussing the history of WvA, but I bet he will come up.

Also, one of my ongoing rants: who gives a F about past, future...race in the now, enjoy the moment, who cares about how a racer will be remembered, enjoy their exploits today/this race. That's not to say that I get to decide how you enjoy racing, but shouldn't the racing be more important than 'the history books'?

EDIT: I started watching cycling back when LeMond was winning (a USAer winning got the TdF on WWS). I didn't really 'get into' cycling until the early '90s when I started racing a bit on the road to help my dirt racing. That being said, I do remember Vanendert, not for anything that he did, but because his first name is Jelly (or something close to that).

 

[Hugh Januss]

But there literally is. It's all part of his legacy.

This Giro for Van Aert will be remembered for two main things: winning the gravel stage and then winning the Giro with Simon Yates. A win in which he played a huge role.

The same way people remember his performance on Hautacam as well. Cycling (or sport in general) isn't an abstract list of achievements on a Wikipedia page or on Procyclingstats. It's a televised spectacle.

This touches on the core of the issue right here. People wonder 'why' Van Aert is such a huge star when he's got one monument. Well it's pretty damn straightforward: GT's get large viewing numbers and Van Aert is always a central protagonist in GT's. It's as simple as that. From contesting stages to making the race hard in the first hour or being the key helper for his leader.

Also the 2 picture perfect leadouts for Kooij, not counting whatever it was the time he opened up a gap and then swung off and sat up and Kooij got boxed along the barriers. That one was just practice!

 

[Salvarani]

Wasted talent at the end of the day

 

[Lequack]

MVDP would never.

 

[jmdirt]

Wasted talent at the end of the day

MSR
GW
SB
AG
E3
OHN
BC
CB
KBK
4 Nat titles
Green Jersey
10 TdF stages
3 VaS stages
1 GdI stage
3 stages for other than GTs, one overall DR
3 WC CX
5 Nat titles CX
Long list individual CX wins
Plus all of the wins that he helped others to.

Hardly wasted.

NOTE: I had to check the books because he has so many wins. Wasted talent would mean that I could count the wins on a few fingers.

 

[Salvarani]

MSR
GW
SB
AG
E3
OHN
BC
CB
KBK
4 Nat titles
Green Jersey
10 TdF stages
3 VaS stages
1 GdI stage
3 stages for other than GTs, one overall DR
3 WC CX
5 Nat titles CX
Long list individual CX wins
Plus all of the wins that he helped others to.

Hardly wasted.

NOTE: I had to check the books because he has so many wins. Wasted talent would mean that I could count the wins on a few fingers.

Meh, when there could have been so much more in regard to his talent. It is a difference.

 

[jmdirt]

Meh, when there could have been so much more in regard to his talent. It is a difference.

YOU are placing that expectation on him, right?

You are assuming that there 'could have been so much more', but maybe that was actually more than should/could have been expected. Maybe it is right in line with what should/could be expected.

Its important to note that he's racing at the top level, not at industrial park crits.

 

[Salvarani]

YOU are placing that expectation on him, right?

You are assuming that there 'could have been so much more', but maybe that was actually more than should/could have been expected. Maybe it is right in line with what should/could be expected.

Its important to note that he's racing at the top level, not at industrial park crits.

Disappointing.

 

[Sciatic]

MSR
GW
SB
AG
E3
OHN
BC
CB
KBK
4 Nat titles
Green Jersey
10 TdF stages
3 VaS stages
1 GdI stage
3 stages for other than GTs, one overall DR
3 WC CX
5 Nat titles CX
Long list individual CX wins
Plus all of the wins that he helped others to.

Hardly wasted.

NOTE: I had to check the books because he has so many wins. Wasted talent would mean that I could count the wins on a few fingers.

Great way to show it.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Wasted talent at the end of the day

The hard truth in GTs. WVA in the Vuelta showed what he is when he is free.

 

[theyoungest]

When I think of WVA I think of that massive pull on Hautacam where he dropped Pogacar. To me that's one of the most beautiful moments in cycling of the past decade or so. Because he's not supposed to be able to do that, and that makes it beautiful. I don't even care that he won MSR, nor do I remember how he did it.

I do think his contribution to Yates' win is a tad bit overrated, it's not like a Bart Lemmen couldn't have done the same. Or Brandon McNulty for Del Toro, if UAE were a little smarter. Yates didn't win because of Van Aert, but because he climbed the Finestre bloody fast.

 

[Red Rick]

I do think his contribution to Yates' win is a tad bit overrated, it's not like a Bart Lemmen couldn't have done the same. Or Brandon McNulty for Del Toro, if UAE were a little smarter. Yates didn't win because of Van Aert, but because he climbed the Finestre bloody fast.

It frankly annoys the crap out of me. Everything around Van Aert is sor reactionary, he's either washed or it's he's the only world class rider in the race and deserves more plaudits than the actual winner, etc.

And I don't blame Van Aert himself either. He seems to be an amazing teammate and overall great dude.

 

[CyclistAbi]

I do think his contribution to Yates' win is a tad bit overrated, it's not like a Bart Lemmen couldn't have done the same. Or Brandon McNulty for Del Toro, if UAE were a little smarter. Yates didn't win because of Van Aert, but because he climbed the Finestre bloody fast.

I mean of course UAE might have won it too. Brandon waiting on the top and del Toro helping to chase down Yates. The thing is that didn't happen.

 

[theyoungest]

It frankly annoys the crap out of me. Everything around Van Aert is sor reactionary, he's either washed or it's he's the only world class rider in the race and deserves more plaudits than the actual winner, etc.

And I don't blame Van Aert himself either. He seems to be an amazing teammate and overall great dude.

It's a bit ridiculous really. Same with the leadout for Kooij yesterday. Edoardo Affini was mighty impressive, WVA didn't really do that much. Yet all the reactions are about the amazing Van Aert doing the leadout.

And indeed, it's not his fault, he doesn't really seem to want all that overblown adulation either.

 

[theyoungest]

I mean of course UAE might have won it too. Brandon waiting on the top and del Toro helping to chase down Yates. The thing is that didn't happen.

But not because McNulty couldn't do it... that's what's so frustrating about UAE, they have the tools but they don't use them. Or at least not very effectively. McNulty should be at least as useful as Van Aert in a mountain stage... but he isn't.

 

[Cookster15]

When I think of WVA I think of that massive pull on Hautacam where he dropped Pogacar.

When I think of WvA I think of the 2020 Tour when he was beating pure sprinters on flat stages and then was driving the GC group on an HC mountain when Bernal was dropped.

Agree with RR that SYates’s ride on Finestre is being understated. Sure Carapaz and del Toro helped by not reacting but it wasn’t just them.

McNulty gave a glimpse of his strength when Carapaz won the Tokyo Olympics road race. Yes likely a wasted resource by UAE.

 

[theyoungest]

McNulty gave a glimpse of his strength when Carapaz won the Tokyo Olympics road race. Yes likely a wasted resource by UAE.

McNulty had one stage in the Tour '22, to Peyragudes, where he suddenly turned into Sepp Kuss and destroyed the whole peloton. That's it, haven't seen anything special from him as a domestique before or since.

 

[Breh]

Yes, he's cool and obviously an amazing rider but stuff like that dumb Sporza "article" is just completely unnecessary and gives me the ick.

Every reason just goes overboard as soon as it is about WvA which makes it really hard to root for him eventhough he can't really help it.

 

[CyclistAbi]

McNulty should be at least as useful as Van Aert in a mountain stage... but he isn't.

Hopefully they don't get an idea to say to Brandon, why haven't you been waiting on the other side, we lost this Giro because you are not Wout.

 

[jmdirt]

Disappointing.

People create arbitrary expectations for racers and when the racers don't live up to that, they are 'disappointing'.

When WvA gets second to Mads, he's is living up to his potential. When he is second to MvdP, he is living up to his potential. When he is second to TP, he is living up to his potential. When he is smashing it for a teammate, he is living up to his potential.

This is living up to his potential:
MSR
GW
SB
AG
E3
OHN
BC
CB
KBK
4 Nat titles
Green Jersey
10 TdF stages
3 VaS stages
1 GdI stage
3 stages for other than GTs, one overall DR
3 WC CX
5 Nat titles CX
Long list individual CX wins
Plus all of the wins that he helped others to.

 

[jmdirt]

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/l_6YUGCAf4U?si=5e-duKohLfz0Epq1