"We did not have any doubts" - Visma coach praises perfect form planning for Wout van Aert and anticipates Roubaix with excitement

Team Visma | Lease a Bike raced a pretty ideal Tour of Flanders, and saw their best riders with their best legs. Now after the race, it is possible to see the Dutch team planned their way into the monuments very well, and the team is very eager to see what Wout van Aert will be able to do at the Paris-Roubaix.

After the finish, there were questions on whether the 'Hell of the North' is better suited to him. “That has been the case throughout his career. It is also evident today, while he was very good, that it will be very difficult to ever win the Tour of Flanders. But next week will suit him better," team coach Mathieu Heijboer told Wielerflits.

Van Aert didn't seem to have the same level as Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel on the ultra-steep climbs of the second monument of the year, but as the race prolonged itself, the endurance factor seemed to favour him more. By the time the riders went up the Oude Kwaremont the final time, it was van Aert himself who was putting on the chase on Pogacar.

“It seemed as if he was getting better and better in the final. We have been working on that in recent months. It is great to see that this was now visible," Heijboer argued. "Hopefully it will continue next week. Again, Paris-Roubaix suits him very well. His form will probably improve. That means we can work towards next week with confidence.”

Unlike van der Poel, Philipsen, Pogacar, Pedersen or Ganna - who should be some of the main favourites for Paris-Roubaix this Saturday - van Aert spent most of March at altitude, training with Tiesj Benoot and returning to competition at the E3 Saxo Classic. At Dwars door Vlaanderen the duo looked stronger, and in Flanders they looked like the best version of themselves. This was exactly what the Dutch team had worked towards.

“No, we planned it that way. In the E3 Saxo Classic it was less than expected, but we did not have any doubts afterwards," he assures. "Gent-Wevelgem was discussed, but we actually just stuck to the plan. There were also good reasons to let him rest. He trained a lot and hard at altitude. So Wout also had to slow down a bit for a few days after the E3, to continue that upward trend.”