"I don't really understand the position of riders like Eddy Merckx or Tom Boonen" - Cyrille Guimard sides with Wout van Aert on Gent-Wevelgem debate

The talk of the cycling world in recent days has been the Gent Wevelgem victory of Christophe Laporte and whether or not Wout van Aert was right to "gift" his teammate the win. The likes of Eddy Merckx and Tom Boonen have been critical, but Cyrille Guimard has backed the Jumbo-Visma duo.

"It's his choice to let a teammate win, but I wouldn't have done it," Merckx said post-race, whilst Boonen was of the opinion that "this again looked good for the team's marketing, but I don't know if I would have done it."

Cyrille Guimard however has a different view, one much more aligned with the Jumbo-Visma duo, he believes the right call was made on the day. "I don't really understand the position of riders like Eddy Merckx or Tom Boonen," Guimard explains to Cyclism'Actu. "Even if it is true that in their time the team members did not even have the right to win a criterium. For me, on a human level, it was extraordinary."

"Lacking humanism is not a quality, especially when you already have a track record," Guimard continues. "I say congratulations to Van Aert and especially congratulations to Christophe, who had a great race."