Fabian Cancellara defends Wout van Aert: "A champion is not only defined by races they win"

Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte have dominated Gent-Wevelgem in a convincing performance. However several fans and analysts have considered it a bad move for Laporte to take the win van Aert arriving second. A sometimes difficult argument to understand, and Fabian Cancellara is one of the figures that stands with the decision.

"Huge, crazy, nice, respect, chapeau... Use whatever word you want to describe Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte at Gent-Wevelgem but does that performance really stand out?" Cancellara said in a Cyclingnews column. "I'm sorry to say it, but cycling was somehow made easy on Sunday. I'm really struggling to understand it. Of course, it was a crazy day with the rain and the cold, and I have respect for every rider who raced. But the weather seemed to change the brains of the riders. We saw warriors but not brains."

The classics legend questioned the actions in the chasing group, where he believes there wasn't a true will to win. Cancellara argues that van Aert looked strong at the E3 Saxo Classic and that this Sunday's race did not provide new insight on the classics experts' form.

"What's clear is that Jumbo-Visma are doing everything right at the moment - everything. I don't think they're just stronger, they're also smarter. They're doing the right things at the right time. The other teams are not," he argued. It would be difficult to say otherwise taking into consideration how the Dutch team has won all four major cobbled classics so far this spring, all of them with different riders. It's a string of results no team even comes close to match.

However several figures in Belgium have criticized van Aert for not taking the win this Sunday, having appeared stronger than his teammate. Whilst many have seen a selfless act and the sign of a well functioning and motivated team, others have argued otherwise, claiming van Aert would regret the decision. Tom Boonen and Eddy Merckx to name a few, and on social media the same opinion was echoed.

"Although I feel it was too easy, I still have huge respect for the performance of Wout and Christophe, and I have even more respect for Wout after what he did at the finish. I know this will divide opinion but for me, gifting the victory to his teammate only elevated Wout van Aert as a champion," Cancellara shared.

"With that gesture he showed humility, generosity, chivalry... he showed humanity. For me, a champion is not only defined by races they win; it's also the way they win, their personality, the human touches. All these things together add up to make a champion, and if you are willing to raise someone else up, then you are extra special."

Having won the E3 Saxo Classic just two days before and with his eyes on the monument, there was no pressure for van Aert to take the win. A race that was already on his palmarès, it meant more for teammate Christophe Laporte who looked equally as impressive last and this spring. "Of course, this was not an entirely selfless deed. I'm not sure winning Gent-Wevelgem changes Wout van Aert's life. He has won it before and he won another major Classic just two days ago. What matters most is the Tour of Flanders. That's the one he wants to win above all else. It's his one big goal for the entire season - everything else comes afterwards. "

Cancellara views the bigger picture of this gesture: "He can afford to give Gent-Wevelgem away as it serves a higher purpose. This was a team victory and it makes the team stronger. He now gets more respect from Christophe Laporte and from his teammates - not to mention the fans. Sometimes, you don't need to win to get stronger. Sometimes, sharing takes you even further. Wout van Aert has grasped this," he argues.

"It was quite the contrast after watching the Volta a Catalunya earlier in the day and seeing what Joao Almeida was doing to Marc Soler - attacking while his teammate was in the front. He could have left it alone, Soler would have taken third place instead, which, as a Catalan rider would mean so much to him that, in another race, he would die for Almeida," Cancellara concluded.