Wout Van Aert tries to follow Pogacar's example and secretely tests out new bike setup in attempt to imitate the Slovenian phenomenon
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has been riding it for a year and with a notable success. Now Wout Van Aert will see if it brings him any luck too. What is the "it" in question? Is it some sort of innovative doping method? Of course not (hopefully). It's shortened cranks (the rod that connects front chain ring to pedals).
It's an interesting development of situation because Van Aert's team Visma | Lease a Bike have previously claimed that they have no intention of using these short cranks... Well, it seems like Pogacar's exploits may have changed their opinion about the matter.
At Wieler Revue, they took a close look at Van Aert's cyclocross bike and noticed that Belgian has been riding around on a bike with shorter cranks in secret for a while now. It's however not very easy to notice with an untrained eye, because the difference is only 7.5 millimeters; from 172.5 millimeters to 165 millimeters. But material supplier SRAM has a different color for each crank length and so it can be deduced that Van Aert is now riding with 165 millimeter cranks.
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So what is the trick behind the use of shorter cranks? The difference certainly won't show while riding up the famous cobbled climbs of Tour of Flanders, however the a clear advantage is seen when a rider needs to maintain a higher cadence for a longer period of time - something Tadej Pogacar would know a thing or two about with the amount of long solos he had pulled off in 2024...
This was also shown by a scientific study at the University of Utah in 2021. An advantage of a higher cadence is also that there is less muscle fatigue if you sit on the bike for three hours or longer. Contrary to the story about being able to pedal at a higher power for longer, this is not undisputed scientifically proven.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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