After a vastly encouraging Tour of Flanders efficiency, Visma-Lease a Bike are feeling upbeat and optimistic about Wout van Aert’s probabilities at Paris-Roubaix subsequent Sunday.
The Belgian completed fourth within the Tour of Flanders after an aggressive race and powerful workforce efficiency. He attacked on the ultimate ascent of the Previous Kwaremont forward of race winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Staff Emirates-XRG) and was capable of keep the chase group behind the Slovenian, with solely Mads Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel stopping him ending on the rostrum.
Though Visma-Lease a Bike produced one of the vital highly effective workforce performances with Tiesj Benoot telling Cyclingnews after Sunday’s race that they had no regrets and that ‘We did every little thing we might as a workforce, only one or two riders have been stronger.”
Staff efficiency supervisor Mathieu Heijboer regarded in the direction of Paris-Roubaix with rising confidence.
“It appeared like he was getting higher and higher within the last. We have now been engaged on that in current months. It’s nice to see that this was seen now,” Heijboer advised Wielerflits.
“Hopefully that may proceed subsequent week. Paris-Roubaix fits him very nicely. His type will most likely enhance as nicely. Meaning we are able to work in the direction of subsequent week with confidence.”
Heijboer additionally claimed that Paris-Roubaix was the Basic “that fits Wout finest, and that is been the case his whole profession.”
Whereas Van Aert has been extra constant in Flanders, with 5 prime tens previously seven years, he has solely completed on the rostrum as soon as, within the runner’s up spot in 2020.
Compared, Van Aert has completed on the rostrum of Paris-Roubaix twice: again in 2023, when he was third, and in 2022, when he accomplished the Hell of the North in second.
Belgian media analysts are additionally inspired by Van Aert’s efficiency, with former Classics specialist racer Sep Vanmarcke telling Nieuwsblad that “Van Aert will certainly watch the finale of the Tour once more and he’ll get an enormous psychological enhance from it.”
Nieuwsblad additionally identified that the presence of teammate Dylan van Baarle, a former Roubaix winner forward of Van Aert again in 2022, who’s quickly recovering from his unhealthy crash within the early season might show to be a significant factor for the Belgian subsequent Sunday.
Nieuwsblad added that Van Aert ought to be capable to totally reap the advantages of his altitude coaching by Paris-Roubaix.
The impact is usually most notable after 10-14 days and given Van Aert’s return date from Teide will come on Wednesday, by Sunday it ought to have taken full impact.
As a gifted cyclocross rider, Van Aert must also have a bonus if the anticipated rain leaves the Paris-Roubaix cobbles moist and slippery.
As former double Roubaix winner Sean Kelly additionally famous in his Cyclingnews Classics column on Monday, riders who’re extra closely constructed, as is Van Aert’s case, are apt to undergo a lot much less on the far flatter Roubaix course, and above all there aren’t any actually steep gradients like in Flanders’ hardest cobbled climbs.
Nevertheless, on the draw back, Nieuwsblad reminded its readers that to evaluate from each Dwars door Vlaanderen and Flanders small bunch sprints, Van Aert’s velocity within the last kilometres doesn’t appear to be as spectacular because it was once.
That might make a solo end in Roubaix by far the most suitable choice for the Belgian, as he continues the search for for his first Classics victory since E3 Harelbeke again in 2023.
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