"That guy was with Van der Poel and Pogacar in Sanremo last year" – Belgian pundit insists Wout van Aert didn’t lose Dwars door Vlaanderen, Filippo Ganna won it
Cycling
Wout van Aert came within metres of victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026, only to be caught in the final sprint by Filippo Ganna after a long solo effort. The result will read as another near miss, but one of the most notable voices in Belgian cycling is painting a different picture.
“You should not underestimate Filippo Ganna,” José De Cauwer said on Sporza post-race. “That guy was with Van der Poel and Pogacar in Sanremo last year. When he is in good form, he still has a strong finish. I think it was difficult to beat him.”
Ganna effort reframes Van Aert defeat
Van Aert had shaped the race on the Eikenberg, forcing the decisive move before committing fully in the closing kilometres. From there, he rode alone, holding off a fragmented but gradually organising chase behind.
As the gap began to fall inside the final kilometre, the dynamic of the race shifted. Rather than a simple collective chase, it became a question of who had the final acceleration left after a high-speed, attritional day.
De Cauwer pointed to that distinction when assessing the outcome. “Certainly not, because he knows he rode a great race and made an impression,” he said, when asked whether the defeat would weigh heavily. “This Van Aert is completely ready heading into the Tour of Flanders.”
That framing moves the focus away from what Van Aert failed to do, and towards the level required to beat him on the day.
Tactical questions, but no regrets
There were still moments in the finale that could be questioned. As the chase organised behind, decisions within the group began to play a role in how quickly the gap came down. “I would have blocked more aggressively and earlier,” De Cauwer said. “Sometimes that can work the other way. And then there was that late turn from Florian Vermeersch.”
The Belgian was quick to clarify that this was not about blame, but about how marginal the difference was in the final outcome. “He wants to come back, but he no longer has the acceleration of Ganna. The latter still had something left. If Vermeersch had raced it differently, they would not have come so close. But Vermeersch is racing to win.”'
Form confirmed ahead of Flanders
Crucially, the broader conclusion remained unchanged. Van Aert’s ride, from his move on the Eikenberg to his sustained effort alone at the front, left a clear impression heading into the Tour of Flanders. “Certainly not, because he knows he rode a great race and made an impression,” De Cauwer repeated. “This Van Aert is completely ready heading into the Tour of Flanders.”
Placed alongside the earlier reference to Ganna’s level, the message was consistent. This was not a defeat that exposed weakness, but one that underlined the standard at the very top of the Classics.
Van Aert did not collapse in the finale. He was caught by a rider capable of producing a performance of the highest level, just metres from the line.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 11visitors 7
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- You don't gift grand tours as it has come to light that Jonas has come to regret doing such.
Front24213-11-2026 - Exactly you said it urslf - he outclimbed del toro by 19 sec. 19SEC and you say hes alot better than del toro still lol? And can also do the same where del toro did that to jonas even and del toro dauphine numbers better than jonas all year so why this hard whats the issue its super easy stuff - del toro wasnt that before. Then factor in both their trajectory the last years and the answer is self explonatory like i said. Nothing against jonas like many do but the typing is no the wall and so stupidly easy as its so self explanatory now. Have a good daymiguel13-11-2026
- Dirty ex doperFront24213-11-2026
- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
- Ah, seems he’s been busy elsewhere! 😆Lozza13-11-2026
- Where is he when you need him!? Wake up man! You’re missing an opportunity!Lozza13-11-2026
- A very true statement made by Johan Bruyneel: "We don’t know for sure about Jonas, because he dropped out of the Tour de France, but he would never have come close to Pogacar. Maybe he would have finished second. He won the Giro in dominant fashion and the Vuelta the year before, but Visma wants to win the Tour." That's exactly what I've been saying the last six months. If Pogi races with Jonas, the most he can be is second... UNLESS... Pogi crashes out or makes a BIG mistake, which is not likely to happen. Either Bruyneel thinks the way I do or he reads my posts. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- TADEJ POGAČAR !!! "Anatomy of a G.O.A.T." OK, that's great!!! I've been saying all along: Tadej Pogačar-Pogi is the G.O.A.T... period. Not only in cycling... but he's the greatest sportsman that ever lived !!! But let's take a look of what real foolishness looks like: We have many many fools, also on this site, saying that Pogi is "boring,"... he's making cycling "boring"??? I can't believe what's comming out of their deteriorating smelly mouths. So I guess Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Fasto Coppi and Anquetil were also boring!?!? I guess Michael Jordan, Le Bron, Gretzky, Messi, Ronaldo, Shumacher, Novak Džoković, Federer, Rossi, Marquez, Phelps, Michaela Shiffrin, Venus Williams, Bolt, Lewis Hamilton... etc. were all boring. PS: Many cycling "fans" that think that way, have to get a brain scan. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- Ayuso has had enough time. He's always going to be a mediocre to good cyclist... nothing special or astonishing. But he does have many excuses, just like Remco, but Remco delivers good wins on occasions, Ayuso doesn't. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- I agree, Johan Bruyneel made big mistakes, he was involved in the biggest doping scandal in the history of sports... BUT NEVERTHELESS... Bruyneels analysis on bike racing and cyclists is among the best. That's a fact... period!!! I love listening to Spencer Martin and Johan on WEDU-THE MOVE PODCAST, but I don't care about Armstrong and Hincapie. They are both american bull shi***s who like to exaggerate and talk nonsense.PogiSloFans13-11-2026
Loading
6 Comments