"You also have to take into account Wout van Aert" - Alejandro Valverde rejects Pogacar vs Van der Poel narrative ahead of Tour of Flanders

The Tour of Flanders has been framed as a straight fight between Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, but Alejandro Valverde sees a more complex picture heading into Sunday.

Speaking in quotes collected by Mundo Deportivo while racing at the Vuelta a Ibiza MTB, the former world champion pointed to Wout van Aert as a decisive factor in how the race could unfold.

“In these times we are seeing the dominance of both Pogacar and Van der Poel, although looking ahead to Sunday in Flanders you also have to take into account Van Aert, who has shown he is in great form. The duel between them is going to be very exciting, although I wouldn’t dare to say who is going to win.”

Van der Poel has already underlined his level again this spring, while Pogacar remains the rider most capable of forcing the race onto his terms. But the races around them have not followed a simple script, and Van Aert has been consistently present when it matters without yet turning that into a result.

Valverde’s view of the current landscape reflects that tension. Even with Pogacar and Van der Poel setting the standard, he does not see outcomes as fixed.

“With such superiority, the result can be predictable, but in the case of Pogacar, who wins Grand Tours and Classics, you have to bear in mind that he will not always be able to win," explains the Spaniard. "He must take advantage of this moment of brilliance while he can. I don’t know whether spectators like that dominance more or less. Personally, I do like it.”

That leaves Flanders open to interpretation. Pogacar can force it early, Van der Poel can wait for the usual moments, but the presence of Van Aert changes the calculation in either scenario.

Valverde does not offer a prediction, but his framing shifts the race away from a duel and towards something less defined. In a spring where control has been harder to impose, that may prove the more accurate reading.