"Those first one-day races you have cramps and then it gets better" - Sep Vanmarcke positive that Wout van Aert will still improve on Dwars door Vlaanderen
Cycling
Wout van Aert, unlike Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, did not race during early and mid-March, a gamble he took in order to have the best preparation for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Sep Vanmarcke aknowledges that this comes with it's pros and cons, but the Dwars door Vlaanderen fall-out isn't a decisive factor for the upcoming monuments.
"Nutrition will certainly play a role. If you see that the average speed was 46.6 km/h: then you don't get much time to eat and drink," Vanmarcke said at Vive le Vélo. "But, and I think many riders will have had this feeling, when you come from altitude, where you have trained very controlled, and then you come into a classic with all that cornering, twisting, always having to accelerate again, then you can sometimes get a cramp the first few times."
At the E3 Saxo Classic van Aert did not play much of a role in the fight for the first positions, but that was mostly due to positioning. At Dwars door Vlaanderen, Visma fixed this situation, but the Belgian then did not have the legs in the final sprint to take a win as he had expected.
These are worrying signs, and van Aert will enter Flanders a level below van der Poel and Pogacar, whilst Visma will have to take big risks and innovate to try and take the win on the day - with Matteo Jorgenson likely to be pivotal if this is to happen. However van Aert is not 'done' according to the former pro, who remembers very well former Flanders winner and teammate Alberto Bettiol who used to have the exact same issues.
"And yes, Wout van Aert is an experienced rider. But Alberto Bettiol, for example, has also been suffering from it for years when he returns from altitude," he shares. "Those first one-day races you have cramps and then it gets better."
Read also
All I saw today was a Wout van Aert who was 10x times better than in E3. Losing a sprint to Powless is no shame. Wout has lost multiple 1v1 sprints in the past, in what critics say was his “prime”.
— Max (@MaxBets001) April 2, 2025
I’m confident he will race for the podium in RVV and race for the win in Roubaix. pic.twitter.com/KKG7RFV8cN
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 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment