"Wout will still want to win it and not come second or third" - Cancellara on how Wout van Aert may break Jumbo-Visma's winning tactics
Cycling
Jumbo-Visma have entered the cobbled classics in the best form possible, taking impressive wins at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne. Whether they'll keep the same tactics or not with the entrance of Wout van Aert is a question for Fabian Cancellara.
"...For the rest of the Spring, he will be in the Jumbo-Visma team and that might change how they ride, too. It’s going to be very interesting when Jumbo have their top line-up together at the start, because that creates the luxury problem of who they’re going to ride for," Cancellara said in a Cyclingnews column. "Right now, they’re winning and that’s fun and nice. But they have another rider to come in who might take away some freedom of movement from Van Baarle and Tiesj, two riders who are themselves potential winners of Flanders."
In an extensive column, the former classics star has wondered if the Dutch team will continue to follow the same tactics which have brought them so much success in the Opening Weekend. Whilst the collective victories are the most important, Wout van Aert himself has quite a lot of pressure to perform in the monuments.
"Maybe they’ll go to the Tour of Flanders with just one leader, because Wout has been close before and it’s the race he really wants to win. Perhaps they’ll play the team card again, with multiple options," he continues. Although he has won Milano-Sanremo, the 28-year old has not yet been able to win the Tour des Flandres or Paris-Roubaix.
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Last year everything seemed to fit but a Covid-19 infection right before Flandres took him out. He finished second at Roubaix, but winner Dylan van Baarle is now his teammate. He's specifically preparing his spring around those two races where he will finally look to break the curse.
"But either way, Wout will still want to win it and not come second or third, so even if there are team orders and even if there’s a lot of respect between all the riders, guys like Van Baarle and Tiesj might find themselves having to take a step back. It’s going to be challenging, but it’s also a nice, luxury problem for Jumbo to have," Cancellara believe.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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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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