Jorgenson bites back at Wout van Aert’s critics: “He's one of the best riders of all time”

There’s no sugar-coating it: Wout van Aert is enduring a difficult start to the 2025 season. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike talisman has yet to produce a signature ride this spring, and his subdued performance at the E3 Saxo Classic, where rival Mathieu van der Poel put on a masterclass, has sparked a wave of criticism in the Belgian media.

For a rider who has carried the expectations of a cycling-obsessed nation for years, scrutiny is nothing new. But the intensity of the reaction this time has prompted his teammates to speak out, with Matteo Jorgenson offering an emphatic defence ahead of Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Jorgenson, winner of Paris–Nice in back-to-back seasons and defending champion at Dwars door Vlaanderen, has been training and racing alongside van Aert and is under no illusions about the pressure his teammate faces.

"I see a lot on social media from any Belgian rider that does anything, and just look at Wout's palmarès, he's one of the best riders of all time," Jorgenson told VRT. "Then to have a few bad races and to see comments, I sometimes think the public here has so much passion and they want to see Belgians on top, and I understand that, but I think some understanding should be had in any case because these people are human."

The American went on to share a detailed picture of van Aert’s recent training efforts on Mount Teide, reinforcing the point that commitment, not complacency, lies behind the current form.

"I've been on [Mount Teide] in Tenerife, I know what the process is like. He went there for three weeks, away from his two kids and wife, to train. The whole time, he woke up in the morning, weighed his food, went out and trained, came home, and weighed his lunch. I mean he lives for cycling, and he's doing his best, and in the end, there's not much more you can do."

The perspective offered by Jorgenson is an important one. In a sport where results are everything and the calendar is relentless, even the most dedicated professionals can be reduced to numbers. But as he reminded the public, van Aert’s work ethic is not in question.

"I think that what I know about Wout is that he's an incredibly hard worker and incredibly focused, and I have confidence that he'll be ready for Flanders because he's spent three weeks preparing just like he's done every single year, and he's in great shape."

Team Visma | Lease a Bike head of racing Grischa Niermann also weighed in, calling for patience and perspective. With the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix looming, the Dutch team is well aware of the stakes, but they’re also trying to protect their riders from burning out under pressure.

"Wout is really hungry," Niermann told Cyclingnews. "On the other hand, it's also about staying calm and confident, and there are very important races coming up, but we also try to keep it simple and remember it's just racing. When we want it too much, then it's also not going in the right direction."

That sentiment captures a familiar tension in elite cycling: the desire to win colliding with the need to remain process-driven. For van Aert (labelled as the sport’s ultimate all-rounder but still missing that elusive Monument win in Flanders or Roubaix) the pressure to finally deliver this spring is immense.

Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen offers a crucial moment to reset. It was at this very race last year that van Aert’s Classics campaign was derailed by a brutal crash, an incident that also took out a huge chunk of the peloton, and led to changes in this year’s course.

"It's a different race I think without Kanarieberg [climb]," said Jorgenson, referring to the removed climb and descent that played a role in the 2024 crash.

The course change could suit van Aert, offering a slightly less chaotic environment to rediscover rhythm and confidence. For both rider and team, it’s an opportunity to rebuild morale ahead of Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, arguably the biggest day of van Aert’s season.

"I really would also love to see Wout [van Aert] get a result and get some confidence before Sunday, and I hope both of us can be in the final together," Jorgenson added.