Not only Wout van Aert, whole Visma is as if paralyzed by fear of crashing: "That's also why Vingegaard didn't go to Itzulia"
CyclingThursday, 17 April 2025 at 09:27
There are not many reasons for happiness in the best team of 2023 - Visma | Lease a Bike. While Jonas Vingegaard is once again injured, the team's other star Wout van Aert was only a shadow of his past self at the cobbled Classics with merely places of honour. And the sky isn't more blue across the rest of Dutch formation.
Jeroen Vanbelleghem is the first to question Van Aert's statements about 'bad form' in discussion on Kop over Kop show. "Finally, Wout van Aert was well positioned, in the Forest of Wallers, and then he stops his legs two or three times. Afterwards he said, 'I didn't have good legs'. But if you stop your legs, it's not because you don't have good legs."
Bobbie Traksel even thought that Van Aert had a flat tire in the Forest of Wallers. "That's what we were hoping for." Jan Hermsen counters that there was certainly something slowing down the Belgian, but not his bike: "It seemed like there was a brake somewhere in his head."
Of course, it could have everything to do with the earlier shock Van Aert experienced while exploring the cobblestones in the Forest of Wallers. He suddenly got a flat tire and could barely stay upright. At almost the same point in the race, he slowed down and fell further behind Van der Poel and Pogacar, among others.
Paralyzed by fear
According to Traksel, there is not only fear in Van Aert, but in the entire Team Visma | Lease a Bike. "They do not only give that fear to Van Aert, but also to Dylan van Baarle, where it is very clear to see. Also to Vingegaard."
There was one too many crashes for Visma leaders in last year and a half. "Fear was the reason Vingegaard didn't go to the Itzulia Basque Country. If you have a few riders in the team with fear like that, it only grows bigger."
Read also
claps 7visitors 7
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- The ball is in motion for Visma, and they will do another sweep of all 3 grand tours this year.
Front24203-06-2025 - NO WAY UAE told anything to Del Toro about Simon Yates. Carapaz was the main focus and I'm confident UAE told Del Toro to stay calm and focus on his main rival only. This was the result.Knickout03-06-2025
- 1- Simon Yates redemption (very emotional). 2- The young, fresh, nice Del Toro in pink. 3- Mads Pedersen wearing/winning the most beautiful t-shirt of the cycling: la maglia ciclamino.
maria2024202403-06-2025 - 1. What happened on Finestre is almost entirely the fault of the team directors for UAE and EF. Yes, the riders have a say, but both teams allowed their riders to get locked into a lunatic stare down while the race went up the road. Both team cars should have seen what was happening and *ordered* their riders to snap out of it. 2. As for Wout, I think you underestimate the threat he represented. If Yates had gone over the top with almost any gap at all, once he got on Wout's wheel that lead was in peril. We've seen him do that very thing before, notably stage 5 2022 TDF, when he pulled nearly a minute back on Pog after Jonas had the bike fiasco. Again, that is why what happened is on the DS for UAE and EF. Their job is to see the situation for what it is, and they both should have known better than to let Wout get 10 minutes in the first place.MidnightRider03-06-2025
- There is no universe in which taking all three podium spots at a Grand Tour is a "debacle." It is one of the great triumphs of modern cycling. I'm not sure it even hastened the end of Rog's time at TJV. He wasn't happy with the way things went at that Vuelta, but that's not why he left. He left because Jonas was the two-time defending TDF champion, and there was no way he was getting top billing any more. What UAE did was a debacle, and their response to it - basically throwing Del Toro under the bus - is worse. Just a stunning misplay on Finestre, and an even more stunning misplay in the media since then.MidnightRider03-06-2025
- Anybody paying attention can see that Ayuso is primadonna. Let him be some other team's joy.bobo03-06-2025
- Bloody hell, that's rubbish. Something fishy about it all 🐟 Did the Shiek bet Del Toro to lose against the odds?? Something from above happened in our race 🤔💩Jerrychicken03-06-2025
- Third, fourth, and fifth place finishes in any bicycle race (amateur or pro) are not "scraped" by any rider. Pidcock brings star attraction. It seems doubtful wildcards are "given" away.itsent03-06-2025
- It was just the most bizarre'ist thing I've ever seen, thought the Visma Vuelta debacle was something but this will stand for a good time...
leedorney03-06-2025 - I thought with a team change we would see a different Pidcock. It started well early season, but this interview sounds like the same old same old. I had hoped for more - but no. He might yet surprise us , but I wouldn't bet on it.Cyclingsbestfan03-06-2025
If you have a crash or something fearful scary then facing that at a later time helps you overcome it lets not forget Jonas V didn't get up off the ground at Itzulia so has mental scars to surmount not only physical. To pick yourself up is ½ way to healing and getting over the problem!
absolutely! Emotional "wounds" are the most complicated and difficult to heal (if they heal at all). I hope these are journalistic exaggerations and none of the Visma leaders suffer this kind of emotional wounds.
If it's true, it's very sad. Generally, when a cyclist reaches this point of being afraid of falling, they usually end up retiring after a short time.
Yes, BUT, often there are already thoughts sown and the crash is just a trigger. With Wout? Feeling ageing, getting bored, girlfriend pressure, legal case depression, lost hope in rivalry with MVDP, no clear position in team, no vision for his future, outside pressure, media/paparazzi, there are soooo many things that could be starting to get to him too much.
yes, the position of Wout is more complicated, many more factors.
If I was a pro, I'd belong at Visma. I'm always scared of crashing, even on our slightly rolling country roads.
there are loads of people and pundits who spend a lot of time griping about how few races some of the big names compete in these days. i think it’s a dumb argument personally but to each his own. in the case of jonas, though, i think a very limited calendar makes a ton of sense and wouldn’t need to be explained by a deep fear of crashing. to me, jonas really does seem like a pure grand tour racer. the explosiveness needed for even a climber’s classic, like il lombardia, isn’t really there when heads up with guys like remco and tadej. with the exception of the occasional MIND BLOWING time trial effort, jonas is like death by a thousand cuts. over the course of days he just grinds and grinds until a breaking point. a could see him just doing the Tour and the lead up prep races, like tour de suisse. in a year like this, MAAAAYYBEEE the world championships because of the course. Now, if you throw in some (pretty understandable) skittishness about getting in another wreck, well, whatevs.
wout is another story. about that i would just say that wouter is a total bad-ass and when it comes to mastering one’s own fear, van aert seems like a one-percenter to me. remember that it’s not just the crashes from the last couple years that he carries around in his head, it’s also that horrific one from the TT at the tour in like 2019, which was the worst of all of them. i don’t think he’s skipping races because he’s afraid.
all of what i’ve said is just a feeling. i can’t back it up and wouldn’t try. it’s just a sloppy, half thought out IT KINDA SEEMS TO ME THAT… but it really does seem like that. to me.
In humans, even when they say, I’m doing or not doing this or that, there is never just one single reason for the decision. It may be used as an excuse or explanation but the fact is we (even if for some that happens on a subconscious level) base our decisions on evaluating a global situation. So, I’m pretty sure your feeling is part of things :-) Anyone of a certain age (most of us here?) knows from experience we ALL adapt with age alone, regardless of experiences, no matter if we had bad crashes or not, none of us ride as carefree as in our youth when certain “inhibitors” weren’t activated yet.
amen.
Itzulia? Are you sure it wasn’t more a boycott? Didn’t see many others going who crashed last year, out of the dozen of the crash only Cras I think.
There might be some truth to Visma's psychology being hurt by last year's crashes. But, definitely - Itzulia was a boycott because of the Organizer's and comments made by them this year again proves it is necessary. The crash profoundly changed the course of the season for several of the top riders, yet they got blamed for not being careful, going too fast, or. not knowing the roads enough.