Lance Armstrong - " Van Aert and Van der Poel are rock stars"

The World Championship was a breathtaking sight, and the height of the showdown between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel was so compelling that it lured the gaze of the world, including that of cycling icon Lance Armstrong, who was greatly impressed.

“If cycling is looking for a format. I know it's hard to apply this to road cycling, but if I can be honest: Dude, I wish I was there,” Armstrong said while appearing on cycling podcast The Move.

He further added, “With every gear, you could hear the crowd raging. They gave energy to the riders. I heard that a boy was riding along who was still working in a butcher's shop a month ago but in the end, it is all about two drivers. Van Aert and Van der Poel are rock stars.”

Johan Bruyneel supported Armstrong’s argument. “I went to a World Cup round in Belgium this winter, together with my son. I had tickets for the VIP tent but didn't make it. You just have to be among the people to soak up the atmosphere. Hoogerheide, that was 40,000 spectators and a group of top athletes in no more than a few square kilometres. It is a unique format and that is what makes the sport so popular,” concluded Bruyneel.