"I wasn't always rightly promoted to top favorite" - Wout van Aert on Flanders plans and already with an eye on Paris-Roubaix
Cycling
Wout van Aert is coming to the Tour de Flanders with mixed feelings. On the one hand his defeat at Dwars door Vlaanderen was a big blow and changes his status within the team for such a race; but on the other he arrives knowing he's finding his best legs for the first time this spring.
"That was a serious blow. Fortunately, I feel much better two days later. The great thing about cycling is that there are always new opportunities. Already on Sunday with the Tour of Flanders," van Aert said in a press conference this afternoon, as reported by Sporza. "It would have been a shame to get stuck in that disappointment of Waregem."
However, he is quick to point out that on Wednesday he had good form, and the team raced perfectly in it's key part. "My performance in Dwars door Vlaanderen has boosted my confidence. Conditionally, I am where I hoped. Positioning for the hills also went much better than in the opening weekend. That indicates good legs," he adds.
Going into Flanders, this time around he won't be quoted within the big favourites, this status will be had by Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar who will with certainty attack the climbs. If anyone has the third spot in terms of favoritism, it will be Gent Wevelgem winner Mads Pedersen.
"Pogacar and Van der Poel are the two big favourites. I hope that I have my best legs on Sunday and can follow them," the Belgian anticipates. "Of course I want to win. But I have to be honest and say that it will be very difficult to beat them. I think I wasn't always rightly promoted to top favorite. This year I'm not at the top and I can approach the race in a different way."
This could potentially mean more open or aggressive tactics. Visma have a strong team and at DDV they put it on full display with an impressive collective attack. But how to surprise on a race as difficult as 'De Ronde' is a very different question.
Van Aert doesn't exclude also working for Matteo Jorgenson if it fits the sensations of both on the day, he will not be a sole leader. "Of course I want to ride the final myself. If Matteo and I are both there, we can discuss who is the strongest. Our goal is to win".
Lastly he was asked about Paris-Roubaix which will take place in just over a week's time, and he admits that "Paris-Roubaix suits me better than the Ronde. Will Pogacar's participation in Roubaix change anything? On the one hand, yes, because we might get a different race. But on the other hand, Paris-Roubaix remains a difficult race to win."
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Tour of Flanders press talks 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/qbMQGKbpJ4
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- I believe Mathieu rather gets beaten by a stronger rider than one who raced smarter. That is why he wanted to team up with Pogacar to drop the JV riders and Mads who were not helping in the chase of the first group since they had a teammate up front.JoostMehrtens08-04-2025
- Just shows that LA is not truly repentant. JUSTICE was served. No winner, no second , no third on the podium for those 7 years. No real winners could be determined, ever. Lance got to keep most of his money , he really should can it . He is toxic to cycling.dave08-04-2025
- Tricky one as while I agree Pogi and UAE are simply faster over a long distance which means Visma and MVP need to be as smart with energy use as can, it's also been proven in the past that one way for Pogi to be beaten is relentless attacks, to put him into the red. However that does require a rider to as good as sacrifice themselves for that one move which makes riskHoopoeChai07-04-2025
- Even if not technically against the rules, this is just bad etiquette and frankly I hope the rest of pelaton remembers Arkea don't care about etiquette or honoring tradition which means they shouldn't benifit from it.HoopoeChai07-04-2025
- The other issue is that Mad Petersen and Wout would have let MVDP do most of the work, as he kept showing he was stronger. MVDP did the strategy with the highest likelihood of victory, he just wasn't strong enough.acem8207-04-2025
- Crash did not help, Out of position for first attack did not help, illness did not help, pacing was not the best either. MVDP has never raced to his limits against other riders but this is his characteristics when he cracks, he cracks big time just like his first elite men WC RR. Against Pogi he needed to be optimized and he is notabstractengineer07-04-2025
- Yes, I completely agree! Before going to a doctor, I give my immune system time to react. If a reasonable amount of time passes and I'm not cured, then I go to the doctor. Fortunately, I haven't needed a doctor in years!
maria2024202407-04-2025 - A lot of medicine does nothing more than speed up recovery time 4-5 days instead of 7-8, 10-12 instead of 2 weeks. It is questionable if it’s really a good thing for healthy people to rely on it as it also makes your immune system lazy and less responsive next time round, making you more and more reliant on medication (surprise, surprise). A bit like glasses, the less you succumb to adapting their strength, the slower the deterioration. Unfortunately many bacterial infections are not so easy to fight without help, your body should manage in the end but it can take really long, I once had strong fever for 3 months trying to fight an infection without reducing work or lifestyle (the antibiotics at the beginning didn’t help).Mistermaumau07-04-2025
- In this case, maybe is my fault (my ignorance). Fortunately, my family hasn't been sick for many, many years, so I can't say if doctors in Italy are still old-fashioned. When we catch a cold (very mild, nothing that requires medical attention), we recover completely in about a week. This may have reinforced my belief in the 7-day cure. Thank you so much, MisterMmaria2024202407-04-2025
- I appreciate the No Excuses thing...bobo07-04-2025