"This sport is not for p*ssies. This is a war" - Johan Bruyneel comments on Classic Brugge-De Panne crashes and Wout van Aert
Cycling
Johan Bruyneel is very concerned about Wout van Aert after his performance not only yesterday at the E3 Saxo Classic, but so far this season. On The Move podcast he analyzed the possible reasons for his poor performances showing his concern for what he might do in his big goals, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix; but also had a controversial comment on the crashes that have taken place at the Classic Brugge-De Panne.
The Belgian classic saw four mass crashes in the final 5 kilometers, and the headbutt of Jonathan Milan to Alexander Kristoff - which did not lead to one - also caught quite a lot of attention. Already at this time, Bruyneel had a spat on X with Benji Naesen, and in the podcast he explained why he is against the comments on such incidents.
"I have a message for all the guys, all the people who judge and think they can dictate what should happen like 'ah this guy should be disqualified straight away or be banned for two weeks', here's the news: this sport is not for pussies," he said. "This is a war. If you don't push you get pushed, it's as simple as that. It's the way it is, if you want to win a race you have to focus on the line".
Read also
Later on when discussing the E3 Saxo Classic, the Belgian pundit was not particularly impressed with Wout van Aert's absence from the action, which although not urgent at the time being, does not bode well ahead of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
"I'm starting to get worried with Wout van Aert, you might even think ok are circumstances that after his first race after a period of not racing where he was at altitude, even taking that into account, this is not the Wout van Aert we used to see," he argues.
While Mathieu van der Poel ended up winning all 3 one-day races he rode, Van Aert's cannot be compared: he finished 39th in the Jaen Paraiso Interior Classic, 11th at Omloop Nieuwsblad and 75th in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne before being 15th yesterday in the E3. In all of them Bruyneel saw a common factor for his poor results:
"His first races were not good. Jaen, Nieuwsblad, Kuurne, in all those first 2 Flemish classics I found it remarkable that he was extremely badly positioned in the key moments and today (yesterday) we have seen the same, I have not seen Wout van Aert in the place where Wout van Aert should be being one of the favorites."
And beyond that positioning, the former US Postal sport director is really worried about Van Aert's performance in the cobbled Monuments because he doesn't see him as having 'good legs':
"Going back to the pictures you could talk about horrible positioning, but for me it's just that he didn't have the legs to be well positioned. I hope I'm wrong because I love Wout van Aert, I'm a fan, I want him to get big wins, he deserves it, but I'm worried that he might close this condition gap in the next few weeks for Flanders and Roubaix which are his big goals. I hope I'm wrong, but it doesn't look good."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment