"Whether he wins or loses, he will always be on the front page” - Michel Wuyts suggests Wout van Aert is 'too popular' for his own good
Cycling
Although Wout van Aert wasn't able to massively feature in the finale of either Omloop Het Nieuwsblad or Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne on Opening Weekend, the Belgian superstar of Team Visma | Lease a Bike continues to be one of the most talked about riders following the action. According to the experienced Belgian cycling expert Michel Wuyts, Van Aert might be too popular for his own good.
On the latest episode of the Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast, the topic of Van Aert's quiet start to the 2025 road season was approached. In eight race days so far this year, Van Aert has a 2nd place from the Volta ao Algarve time trial, but not much else to shout about. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old remains on of the riders most hyped ahead of any race where he starts, bringing big support but also big pressure.
"Since the Cyclocross World Championships, something he does has been magnified every day," notes former Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout. "You would think that Wout would be used to that by now and that he could handle it, but the tension is still building towards that opening weekend. And if you don't fully meet expectations, that can weigh on you."
“He is too popular,” Wuyts nods in agreement, recalling a notable example of the immense attention Van Aert receives, especially in Belgium. “I still remember what I experienced last year on the starting podium of the E3 Saxo Classic. Mathieu van der Poel got a deafening applause, but with Van Aert it was a times five. I am also convinced that he will get a bigger applause than Remco Evenepoel. He is by far the most popular.”
“Van Aert is a star, but also an underdog. He is two in one, and he has to deal with that," adds Wuyts in conclusion. "I asked him on stage: 'Does that stimulate you to give even more of yourself or is it the other way around?' He said that I should not ask him that question at that moment. He is struggling with that, isn't he? He is approached as a demigod. Whether he wins or loses, he will always be on the first cycling page.”
Just in
NEW: WorldTour Manager Cyclinguptodate.com (FREE)
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Popular news
Latest comments
- Not all doping cases are equal. I've known Rob Stannard since he was a kid. His suspension was for a bio-passport irregularity. Rob presented both a plausible explanation and medical evidence that WADA was unable to discredit. However they refused to accept it and in the CAS case Rob was told unless he was able to replicate the irregularities perfectly then his evidence wouldn't be accepted. However this was 4 years later and your body's biomarkers are different at 23 than at 19, so it was literally physically impossible to do what was required and so he was sanctioned in spite of wada being unable to demonstrate he had acted illegal. All this is to say that not all doping positives are evidence of cheatingPCR036818-03-2025
- Not all doping cases are equal. I've known Rob Stannard since he was a kid. His suspension was for a bio-passport irregularity. Rob presented both a plausible explanation and medical evidence that WADA was unable to discredit. However they refused to accept it and in the CAS case Rob was told unless he was able to replicate the irregularities perfectly then his evidence wouldn't be accepted. However this was 4 years later and your body's biomarkers are different at 23 than at 19, so it was literally physically impossible to do what was required and so he was sanctioned in spite of radars being unable to demonstrate he had acted illegal. All this is to say that not all doping positives are evidence of cheatingPCR036818-03-2025
- Yes, seriously, Z2. First of all, the race isn't 8 hours, it's a lot shorter. 2nd, if the team is protecting you/you're sitting in the bunch at 45km/h, these guys are definitely in Z2vappaxbipmv18-03-2025
- I had a deviated septum. Legacy of falling out of a tree on to my face. The op which was basically a hammer and chisel job, took a long time to get over. Even now years laterI'm susceptible to infections on one side of my sinuses. During high pollen count periods it's worse. It always held me back at times when endurence cycling. It's an extreme cure and I hope it works out for Jai.Cyclingsbestfan18-03-2025
- What about Astana? Tejada was pretty impressive in PN and Fortunato too, he had a solid ride on the only real mountain stage of 2025 TA. And there's also Ulissi.heinz18-03-2025
- Ayuso seems to be all about himself.. 🤷
leedorney18-03-2025 - Hey CUTD, nothing against your favourite insider but it’s a bit disrespectful to quite a few ladies to highlight Urska both in bold and in the title!Jumpyjohn18-03-2025
- Ayuso no works for the others: usually he runs hidden in the back of the pack to avoid working. Maybe he's not a good teammate, maybe he reaps what he sows. Personally, he is one of the few riders that I find unpleasant.
maria2024202418-03-2025 - Thought I’d share a nice thread discovered on the subject of Mrs Trump’s nationality : « A country that is able to produce the humility and fearlessness of Matej Mohorič, the playfulness and rule bending of Tadej Pogačar and the ability to stand against adversity as Primož Roglič, has nothing to gain from the values of the first lady. And that is only cycling. Mute Report Sirtracy OneMillionMonkeys 8 Jan Tratnik looks as fit as me and has won a stage at the Giro d'Italia. If that's not inspirational, I don't know what is. Mute Report GrouchoBlondini77 OneMillionMonkeys 7 Fully agree. And you can add Jan Tratnik to the list of Slovenian cycling stars. What are they putting in the water there? Mute Report OneMillionMonkeys Sirtracy 7 How could I forget Tratnik. Thanks » By the way, Sam Bennett seems awfully quiet at the moment, any news on him anyone?Mistermaumau18-03-2025
- Based on desires and current rate of improvement he is likely to reach MJ level before the likes of (for starters) TP, JV & RE and even PR retire. It was not an exclusive list and I don’t claim to or want to know every discussable rider’s age unless it becomes necessary :-)Mistermaumau18-03-2025