The jury was nonetheless out on the knowledge of Wout van Aert’s unconventional Classics preparation after E3 Harelbeke, the place his problem was impeded by a crash on the Paterberg. Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen ought to provide a firmer indication, even when Van Aert is aware of the Tour of Flanders would be the true arbiter.
The reasoning behind Van Aert’s 2024 schedule is well-known at this level. He has gained Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race, Gent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne through the years, however that hefty one-day haul nonetheless does not fairly suffice to please his demanding constituency.
For a Belgian rider of his presents on the cobbles, victory on the Tour of Flanders should really feel like an obligation. That mission appears all of the extra crucial on condition that his outdated rival Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has clocked up two victories on the Ronde and leads Van Aert 4-1 in Monument wins.
Van der Poel, so crushing in Harelbeke and nonetheless spectacular in defeat at Gent-Wevelgem, won’t be amongst Van Aert’s opponents at Dwars door Vlaanderen, although the Visma-Lease A Bike man will measure himself in opposition to a number of others with designs on the Ronde podium, together with Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-rek), Tim Wellens (UAE Staff Emirates) and Alberto Bettiol (EF Schooling-EasyPost).
Most eyes, nonetheless, will probably be skilled firmly on Van Aert, who this 12 months eschewed Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo in favour of a three-week coaching camp atop Mount Teide. He arrived in Belgium simply two days earlier than E3 Saxo Basic, the place his fall on the Paterberg supplied mitigation for his eventual third-place end.
Van Aert had regarded much less sharp than Van der Poel within the early skirmishes, most notably on the Taaienberg, however that did not essentially imply the Dutchman was going to drop him within the finale. After his crash, in the meantime, Van Aert burnt off the chase group on the Kwaremont and put up a spirited solo pursuit of Van der Poel earlier than finally succumbing on Karnemelkbeekstraat.
When Van Aert pale within the closing kilometres, one puzzled if the accidents sustained within the crash had been extra extreme than first thought, however these fears had been quickly allayed when he posted particulars on Strava of a 180km coaching experience the next day. “No one has ever recovered instantly after a fall, however Wout’s accidents aren’t too dangerous,” directeur sportif Maarten Wynants informed Het Laatste Nieuws.
Visma
The general well being of Visma-Lease A Bike’s Classics unit is a higher concern. Christophe Laporte has already been dominated out of the Tour of Flanders by means of sickness, whereas Dylan van Baarle can also be a doubt after it emerged that he can be too unwell to experience Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Tiesj Benoot, in the meantime, suffered a crash at E3 Harelbeke, whereas Matteo Jorgenson had the misfortune to fall, albeit with out consequence, after crossing the road in fifth place. For good measure, Omloop winner Jan Tratnik crashed out of Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, prompting Het Nieuwsblad to speak of the “curse of Mount Teide.”
Jorgenson, Benoot and Tratnik are all match sufficient to line out alongside Van Aert on Wednesday, nonetheless. On the proof of his fantastic E3 show, Jorgenson needs to be to the fore right here, and Visma will hope the race to Waregem can reignite a Classics marketing campaign that misplaced momentum over the weekend. Then once more, the Dutch squad gained E3, Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen final 12 months solely to fall brief on the Ronde and Paris-Roubaix.
For Van Aert, subsequently, Dwars door Vlaanderen is a method to an finish moderately than an goal in and of itself. He’s the logical favorite to win, after all, however the race options on his calendar as a ultimate warm-up for the Tour of Flanders, nothing extra. The purpose was illustrated when Van Aert revisited his disappointment at falling brief at the least 12 months’s Flanders and Roubaix in an interview with Belgian journal Humo revealed on Tuesday.
“I missed out on a giant win too typically final 12 months, and that all the time led to frustration,” stated Van Aert, who added that his diminished cyclocross calendar this previous winter was a response to how final season performed out.
“I by no means acquired to my greatest degree all through the season, and that frustration constructed as much as such an extent that I wanted extra time for myself. The group additionally stated: ‘We’re not going to allow you to race with a knife to your throat from mid-December.’ That was the best resolution. The frustration is gone, the batteries are recharged.”
No matter he says about his frustration, Van Aert is aware of that criticism is rarely far-off. It appears to return with the territory for a person of such dextrous expertise, amplifying each time he misses out on a Monument or a world title.
“It hasn’t labored out a number of instances already, in order that makes me an underdog,” Van Aert stated of the Classics. “Some folks like that and are followers of me due to it. Others are dissatisfied and criticise. If Tom Boonen or Rik Van Looy give an interview, I haven’t got to learn it to know what it says. Nobody is resistant to criticism, together with me.”
Victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen will not alter that actuality, after all, however Van Aert’s first look within the race since 2018 is an important factor in his Ronde preparation: a tweak in his build-up which may but change his Monuments narrative.
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