"Those young guys are also eager to take over the torch" - Wout van Aert talks Mathieu van der Poel and his quest for monument glory
Cycling
Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel are two names that will forever be linked in cycling history. Both are truly legendary riders in their own right, sharing similarities while also standing apart in key areas.
Van Aert has found greater success in grand tours, whereas Van der Poel has dominated the monuments recently, winning six compared to Van Aert’s single victory. Their battles in cyclocross have also been superb, but Van der Poel holds the upper hand with seven world titles and has stretched away in recent years, while Van Aert has claimed three.
As the 2025 season approaches, the question is: will this be the year Van Aert finally wins another monument, his first since Milano-Sanremo in 2020? Now 30, time is starting to work against him.
Speaking to WielerFlits, Van Aert reflected on his career achievements and how he hopes to be remembered.
"But what is a palmarès?" the 30-year-old Belgian pondered. "Is that a list with a number of victories on it? Or is that how we remember someone as a cyclist? Of course, victories are part of that. I think there are enough of them in my case."
He continued, "But I also hope that a lot of people remember me as the rider who did things that other riders don’t do. And one of those is probably occasionally sacrificing himself for someone else. That’s who I am. And I’m also very proud of that."
Looking ahead, Van Aert remains optimistic about what’s to come. "In five years’ time, there certainly won’t be much you can do about that," he said with a laugh. "Then that’s how it is. Then I’ll have a lot of great things to look back on.
"But I’m also really looking forward to the years to come, in which I’ll always start with a lot of ambition. And I’m enjoying that more and more, the road to get there."
Despite the growing competition from younger riders, Van Aert still sees potential in himself. "I think that I can definitely still use my potential. So I think that in that sense it is not an issue. Of course it is, when I turn thirty there will be guys of twenty-three, twenty-four ready again. That is increasing every year. Those young guys are also eager to take over the torch. That is of course something else that you have to take into account."
With another season very much in its infancy, the debate over Van Aert and Van der Poel’s careers will likely be a key topic once again. Will Van Aert finally add another major one day victory to his name, or will time and younger competition make it an even greater challenge?
Wout does sacrifice himself. But watching MVDP work for his team in Milano San Remo last year and GTs is equally if not more impressive. Jasper has had the most notable lead out EVER
Yes, that’s why both are equally liked, MVDP just turned out a bit more successful, my feeling is because he always just did his own thing, more relaxed and with Wout in the past you got the impression it was also specifically about beating MVDP but I think he’s grown out of that so might enjoy himself more in future. Here’s hoping they both stay healthy and accident free,
Just in
Play for FREE! Fantasy Tour of Flanders
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Popular news
Latest comments
- You are completely wrongvappaxbipmv05-04-2025
- Tadej has a little more chance. It will be an exciting race and the most important thing is that no one gets hurt.
maria2024202405-04-2025 - Whatever happens tomorrow... it'll be a hell of a raceslappers6605-04-2025
- Exactly Tadej, the cancer of modern society. Full of good-for-nothing people who gain visibility and importance on social media mocking, humiliating (and worse things) to earn money. But it's the follower's fault, no followers, no "influencers".maria2024202405-04-2025
- Great commentCaralladas05-04-2025
- i’m such a sucker for those group-hug, happy ending moments between competitors, largely because it’s so WASN’T that way in my younger, stronger days. (on that note, i have this hope that somewhere down the road, maybe fifteen or twenty years, a middle aged wout and mathieu will go for a pleasure ride together in flanders, and reminisce about the days when they were the young, strong monsters that stalked the cobbles.)OCexile05-04-2025
- Just like Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Ronde van Vlaanderen was/is NOT on MAX. Get your facts straight.Ben04-04-2025
- You might bounce more for the same power, but not the same speed. Sending 20 kgs over a jump at 20 kph will fly just as far as 10 kgs at the same speed. Again, Galileo demonstrated this.acem8204-04-2025
- So, you're saying that doing a bunch of small hops on a bike is easier if you're heavier? Why do people buy lighter bikes, then? Why do they generally feel better and faster? An appeal to "rhythm" is not helpful either, as the right "rhythm" might be on the lighter or heavier side of things, and as it varies, it's likely a wash either way. Then we are left with the physics truth that it takes less power to lift lighter things than heavier things.acem8204-04-2025
- No, weight doesn't affect the ability to go into the wind at all. It's all CdA vs power at that point. For example, it's "obvious" that a heavier object falls faster than a lighter one. But, absent wind resistance, it's not true (Galileo demonstrated this). An appeal to "obviousness" doesn't matter when the physics is clear. And yes, you have to be able to hold everything else constant, or you can't determine anything! So, imagine a 300 watt rider at 80 kgs with a CdA of 2.0, then imagine that same rider at 70 kgs with a CdA of 2.0. (Assume ideal tire pressure for both, same bike.) Which one can ride over a bumpy road fastest? The lighter one, as he doesn't have to lift as much. That's also why when they test bikes on 5 star cobbled sectors, the MTB goes faster than even a cobble-build road bike. Even though rolling resistance is higher on a flat road, and the CdA is junk, it smooths out the cobbles, allowing the person to not lift as much as they otherwise would.acem8204-04-2025