American ex-pro counters heavy criticism of Wout van Aert's sprinting ability: "The same Wout that won on Champs-Élysées lost a sprint to Pidcock"

For a third Sunday in a row, a fourth place was awaiting Wout van Aert at the finish line of Amstel Gold Race. But compared to previous races, this results comes with a massive confidence boost. That's because Visma | Lease a Bike rider finally won a sprint this spring.

Former American professional Tom Danielson also saw a strong Van Aert. He also reflects on the Brabantse Pijl, where he parries the criticism directed at the Belgian for losing a sprint to Remco Evenepoel. "I was caught off guard today by how much negative chatter followed Wout Van Aert’s excellent performance in Brabantse Pijl," he says in his lengthy analysis on X.

"Are many seeing what I’m seeing? Apparently not. So I took a few minutes this afternoon to share my thoughts on his comeback performances - and how they might be pointing to bigger-picture goals that most people are missing."

Critics think back to the 30-year-old Belgian's sprint victories in the Tour de France. In 2021, he won sprint against some of the world's fastest men on the Champs-Élysées. But the American former rider highlights an important fact from that same season.

"Ironically, '2021 Champs-Élysées-winning Wout' lost Brabantse Pijl in a sprint to 128-pound Tom Pidcock. Yes, that’s right—the same guy who, in the same year, won the field sprint on the Champs-Élysées got beaten by a rookie pro climber in a sprint."

"This year? Wout lost the sprint to Olympic champion Remco… after both of them dropped Pidcock on a climb earlier. That sounds like an improvement over 2021 to me." That's why Danielson thinks Van Aert will be just fine for the rest of his season. After Giro, he will also be at the start of Tour de France, where Danielson expects to see the old Van Aert back. "Was he exceptional in the Tour de France in 2021? Absolutely. I would expect something similar in 2025."