"It’s not all about good watts": Wout Van Aert might severely struggle with positioning this spring
Cycling
Under normal circumstances, Wout Van Aert would have to viewed as one of the favourites of the Tirreno-Adriatico stage 2. Of course, he's no longer the king of gravel, but with rather kind slopes of the final sector, he definitely stood a chance against Mathieu van der Poel. Or he would, if he didn't enter the key turn with 5 kilometers to go completely out of position.
Meanwhile, Visma's GC leader Matteo Jorgenson was comfortably at the head of the peloton, clearly showing that the Dutch team knew how to put their key riders into the thick of action. So where was Van Aert?
Roxanne Knetemann and journalist Daniël Dwarswaard dive into the complicated history of Van Aert's career on In Het Wiel podcast. "Van Aert has already been through so much in his sporting life, so that definitely plays a role. But so does the stage of life he is in now, with children and his wife," suggesting that the 31-year-old Belgian is no longer willing to gamble with unclear odds.
That might cost you a victory at times, but it's a way to prevent further health issues - something Van Aert definitely isn't looking for considering his extensive medical report. "Crashes are part of cycling, but at some point that settles in your head. One way or another, all those crashes pile up on your SIM card. You try to push that fear as far away as possible, but at certain moments it can open up again."
Going to backfire at the Classics
Knetemann said it is "very difficult" in that kind of mental situation to still stay at the front in dangerous moments. "That is something Van Aert is going to run into with his spring ambitions. Because in those races, everything depends on positioning. It’s not all about good watts, but about where you are able to use them."
"If that is from 100th place, then the bird at the front has already flown," Knetemann referred primarily to a certain Slovenian winged species. "Van Aert is already just a little below Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, and if you then also position yourself less well, you simply cannot afford that. Not really against the whole peloton, but especially not against the two names we are talking about now."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026
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Tenemos que hablar de Wout van Aert. No puede ser que en el momento más importante de la carrera a 7km de meta, estés en la posición 45-50 del pelotón. ¿Sabéis quien SÍ estaba bien colocado, verdad? No hace falta que lo diga, se ve perfectamente en la imagen.
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