Sven Vanthourenhout tries to cheer up Wout Van Aert: "These are situations that can occur. It's not a disaster to lose"
Cycling
They were supposed to be celebrating at Team Visma | Lease a Bike on Wednesday. After all they pulled off a perfect race at Dwars door Vlaanderen... Except the execution failed and Wout van Aert lost sprint to Neilson Powless in a 3v1 scenario. The Belgian was obviously heavily criticized by media for failing to carry out the responsibility afterwards.
Former national coach Sven Vanthourenhout knows Wout van Aert well enough to know the right words to cheer up the Belgian after Dwars door Vlaanderen disaster. "I sent him a message," he says at Vive le Vélo, Tour of Flanders special. "These are situations that can occur. It's not a disaster to lose, but the scenario seems silly."
Co-commentator José De Cauwer realises the great pressure on Van Aert, but also puts the failure into perspective of everything the 30-year-old has been through in recent months: "So much has happened, his accident, the mountain... and he really needs that victory."
It was heart over brain when the tactics were decided. "He says he would like to win and everyone from Visma says in that breakaway that it is for him. And yet it fails. No team manager would whistle that back, would they? Van der Poel wouldn't be whistled back either... I think Jorgenson and Benoot were happy to do something in return."
Vanthourenhout indicates that Van Aert cannot please every cycling fan: "Suppose they race and Benoot wins. Then you get something like: he gives it away."
Nobody could foresee such outcome, De Cauwer points out: "I didn't find anything wrong with it. Given the history, I thought it was a normal choice by the team manager, if Wout himself supports it and given his status within the team."
Will the Belgian be able to get over this loss and start Tour of Flanders with a fresh head? Vanthourenhout answers: "Yes. I think a lot will have been flushed away today." De Cauwer gets the closing words: "He can't do anything else. He did everything he could. Every day that he is back from the mountains he gets better."
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- Nathan is one of the best former pros commenting during races - up there with Sean Kelly and Nico Roche imo - McEwen, Blythe, you can keep themCrashjames10-04-2025
- Impressive and surprising, well done. Go for it more often please.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Good choice of profile picture by the way :-)Mistermaumau10-04-2025
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- Actually, I’ve not noticed that fans have even noticed results are provisional so as far as the sport itself goes, I wouldn’t worry too much. Obviously some riders will miss out on celebrating but then these days, they’re all paid so well that it’s quite a small price to pay. Andy Schleck certainly didn’t get to party like he was used to when he received Alberto’s trophy and titles, nevertheless, he’s in the books and I’m sure he feels like and gets treated like a tdf winner. CATCHING dopers is good for the sport, though at the moment I’d have no idea who to go looking for.Mistermaumau10-04-2025
- Someone like David Walsh, who was the point person in the Sky Team coverup? When there was money and fame in bringing down Armstrong, he went for that. Then he sold that crusader image to Sky. And then renounced them. The guy has made more money from athletes and doping without ever once competing himself, having to take drugs, or even stand for a single principle. He is no different than Novitzsky, who was pivotal in the Armstrong investigations, and helped put Marion Jones in jail. Now he is full-time in the coverup business for the UFC.
Barney10-04-2025 - Do you think that making results provisional for 10 years makes for good sport? Or in any way remotely fairer, or safer?Barney10-04-2025
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KerisVroom10-04-2025