"For me Mathieu is above..." - Wout Van Aert puts van der Poel over Flandrien legend Tom Boonen
Cycling
In a short video interview with Jan Bakelants, Wout Van Aert was asked a few questions regarding his future in pro cycling, Mathieu van der Poel and some other topics. Whilst short, it provided some insight into the Belgian's opinions and outlook into his career.
The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider is heading into an important weekend, as he returns to the Tour of Flanders as the Dutch team's leader. With Christophe Laporte and Per Strand Hagenes by his side, Visma will look to disrupt, alongside Evenepoel, the absolute dominance of Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel who have gotten a hold of the race since 2022.
For over a decade now Van Aert has been competing against Mathieu van der Poel and when asked to compare the Dutchman with one of the modern legends of the classics, Tom Boonen, his answer did not take long: “Sorry Tom, but for me Mathieu is above him.”
With three Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders wins, all obtained since 2020 - alongside two Milano-Sanremo titles, a world title, a Strade Bianche, Tour de France stages, many other classics and of course also a record-breaking eight cyclocross world titles, it simply becomes hard for any modern rider to be compared to the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider.
As for Van Aert, there is still the idea of one day becoming World Champion on the road, a goal he will keep pursuing. “I hope so, yes.” However how long his career is a valid question, taking into consideration he is now 31 and has been at the top of the game for about a decade now; has had plenty serious injuries in serious years and a family at home.
He was asked by Bakelants if he would still be racing in five years and whilst the answer is not definitive, it hints at his current expectations: “The chance is greater that I will be than that I won’t". Van Aert currently has a lifetime contract with Visma, meaning he can continue racing for a long time still.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Right on. The more the merrier.Occam13-11-2026
- Remember, Del Toro struggled in this Tour. He is great, no doubt about that, but comparing him to a four time gt winner is absurd at this point. He has the potential. We'll have to see how he develops.awp13-11-2026
- what did Jonas gift and to whom? just curious, haven’t heard about this.mij13-11-2026
- You don't gift grand tours as it has come to light that Jonas has come to regret doing such.
Front24213-11-2026 - Exactly you said it urslf - he outclimbed del toro by 19 sec. 19SEC and you say hes alot better than del toro still lol? And can also do the same where del toro did that to jonas even and del toro dauphine numbers better than jonas all year so why this hard whats the issue its super easy stuff - del toro wasnt that before. Then factor in both their trajectory the last years and the answer is self explonatory like i said. Nothing against jonas like many do but the typing is no the wall and so stupidly easy as its so self explanatory now. Have a good daymiguel13-11-2026
- Dirty ex doperFront24213-11-2026
- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
- Ah, seems he’s been busy elsewhere! 😆Lozza13-11-2026
- Where is he when you need him!? Wake up man! You’re missing an opportunity!Lozza13-11-2026
- A very true statement made by Johan Bruyneel: "We don’t know for sure about Jonas, because he dropped out of the Tour de France, but he would never have come close to Pogacar. Maybe he would have finished second. He won the Giro in dominant fashion and the Vuelta the year before, but Visma wants to win the Tour." That's exactly what I've been saying the last six months. If Pogi races with Jonas, the most he can be is second... UNLESS... Pogi crashes out or makes a BIG mistake, which is not likely to happen. Either Bruyneel thinks the way I do or he reads my posts. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
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