Wout van Aert "can win twenty cyclocross races, nobody cares. He has to win classics" - Tom Boonen

Within the Belgian community there is a great deal of importance given to the cobbled classics. Wout van Aert is one of the biggest specialists in the current peloton, but despite his incredibly versatility former pro Tom Boonen believes the responsibility is to win big.

“Wout will be 29 years old. The time has come, especially after the winter he has now had. The level he has achieved is unseen, to the extent that I sometimes wonder what those (cyclocross, ed.) riders are doing racing so hard so early in the year," Bonnen said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. The classics legend has talked about how Mathieu van der Poel is the rider who prevents van Aert from achieving unheard success, but puts a lot of emphasis on his compatriot's responsibilities. 

“To put it bluntly: he can win twenty cyclocross races, nobody cares. He has to win classics," he states. Despite having won the cyclocross World titles on three occasions, as well as countless successes on the road including several stage wins and the green jersey. However he has not yet won a monument in the cobbles, despite several times being close at both Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix. 

"I myself hated it when my season was reduced to that, but he is so good that only classics really add something at the moment. You can win fifteen races in a year, if there is no classic, it is not enough," Boonen believes. 

After a dominant cyclocross season, van Aert had a front row seat to Mathieu van der Poel's victory at the cyclocross World Championships. After his ongoing training camp at Mount Teide, he will start his road season at Strade Bianche. Milano-Sanremo, Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix are all planned for the Jumbo-Visma rider.