"There's huge pressure on Wout right now in this rivalry with Van der Poel" - Fabian Cancellara's insight ahead of cobbled monuments

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert's first battle on the road this season took place at the E3 Saxo Classic and it was one for the books. Plenty attacks, a lot of drama and a battle that concluded with a triumph for the Dutchman are the subject of an analysis from classics legend Fabian Cancellara.

"Friday's E3 Saxo Classic showed that we certainly weren't wrong to expect a battle between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert this Spring. Their duel was the main story of the race, and Mathieu came out on top again in the end, which will only add to the pressure on Wout before the Tour of Flanders," Cancellara wrote in a column for Cyclingnews. "Van Aert's crash on the Paterberg totally changed the race, of course, and it's understandable that it was the focus of a lot of analysis afterwards... I don't know if that was a mistake or just simple bad luck for Van Aert, but it was very costly."

The Swissman talked about the lack of a collective dominance from Visma which proved costly. The two multi-discipline specialists proved to be above the competition; with van der Poel launching many attacks throughout the cobbled sector that only van Aert could match. The winning gap was made in the Paterberg when van Aert crashed and lost around 20 seconds.

"In either case, I think it's clear that there's huge pressure on Wout right now in this rivalry with Van der Poel. He hasn't won the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix yet, and there's all this expectation on him in Belgium and that's not easy to manage," Cancellara believes. This is rather true, with van Aert being only part of a very strong classics block from Visma, but often being given the responsibility to take the wins from fans.

Flanders and Roubaix are the two races that truly matter to van Aert and he did show the necessary form to match van der Poel in the tougher Flanders; however it's also become clear that he needs to have his very best level and never lose sight of his rival if he is to win it.

"Winning in Harelbeke was a big message from Van der Poel to his rivals for the rest of the Spring," Cancellara says. "Because he didn't just demonstrate his strength, he also showcased his experience and his confidence in these races. When he goes, some riders might already be thinking about racing for second or third place."