"After Pogacar, he may well have the biggest engine in the peloton" - Museeuw on Wout van Aert and van der Poel

Johan Museeuw is one of the best classics riders of his time and history of cycling. He has, ahead of the Tour de France, talked about Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel - as well as throwing in a comparison with Tadej Pogacar that was possible to see in the classics.

"If someone gives me a pill to make me thirty years younger, I will accept that immediately. I would have no problem competing with this generation. I am not going to say that I would be as strong as Mathieu van der Poel or Wout van Aert, but I would still compete hard," Museeuw said in words to Wielerevue.

Although the spring classics are now far behind us, he was asked about the Belgian and his chances of still winning a cobbled monument, something that seemed to become clearly a very difficult and unlikely task this year with Pogacar showing he can also win Paris-Roubaix realistically. "If he is one hundred percent and everything goes well, then yes, he can. After Pogacar, he may well have the biggest engine in the peloton," van Aert's compatriot argues however.

Van Aert had the ideal preparation towards the classics it seemed, as he reached peak form just in time for Flanders. Although he fell ill and started the Giro d'Italia in poor form, he got up to speed to win the sterrato stage and later on went on to become a key part of Simon Yates' overall win. This showed the level of the Visma rider, who may reach it again during the Tour.

"I think he will win two stages in the Tour de France, because he is finally thinking about himself. He is too much of a team player. What he did in the Giro d'Italia was great, but if you then saw the 2023 World Championship in Glasgow... Van der Poel did a few lead-outs in the Tour de France, but at the World Championship he was gone in the final lap."

"In the Netherlands you might say that he should be more of an asshole, but in Belgium we just say that he is too much of a team player. That is why he is so sympathetic to people, and that is also nice. But at the end of your career, two things count: first your record and then your wallet."

"The latter will be fine for Wout. The first one too, but actually the Ronde and Roubaix should be added," Museeuw continued. "Van der Poel has already won both three times... He is the rider who is going to break my record. Not that I mind, because I have a lot of sympathy for Mathieu."