Belgian commentator is wary of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad curse: "I actually hope that Wout Van Aert does not win Omloop in order to be able to win Flanders a month later"
Cycling
Wout Van Aert is one of the main names that are being the topic ahead of the first of cobbled classics - Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Despite the fact that his early participations in Clasica Jaen and Volta ao Algarve didn't bear fruits, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star shouldn't be underestimated.
Eurosport commentator Jeroen Vanbelleghem sees an upward trend: "Van Aert clearly still had a lot of work to do in Jaen, but in the Algarve it got better and better, especially with a strong second place in the time trial. He will get there. He doesn't have to be at his best this weekend, otherwise he can forget about the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix."
Of course that doesn't mean Van Aert shouldn't compete at the front, but it's no shame if he lets his teammates shine in the first races. "But you have to be good, because whoever starts is good. That applies to the whole year. When the riders race, they are at their best and Van Aert will be too. You can't doubt that," says Vanbelleghem.
"Whether Van Aert will win is not even that important for now. For Van Aert, it is mainly a matter of continuing that good feeling from the Algarve time trial. Actually, he should not win."
He's already triumphed at Omloop in 2022 and later had to sit out the Tour of Flanders and only finished 2nd at Paris-Roubaix. Not a bad result, but the Belgian should aim higher than just for a podium. Vanbelleghem suggests that winning Omloop may even be a cycling curse of some sort.
"Why do I say that? Never before in the history of cycling has the winner of the Omloop also won the Tour of Flanders in the same year. I actually hope that WVA does not win in order to win the Tour a few weeks later," Vanbelleghem expresses his wish.
According to the commentator, this weekend is especially important for Van Aert to get back that good feeling: "If he notices in the evening: I was able to impose my will on the others, then he will be very satisfied."
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