For the reason that final time Wout van Aert gained certainly one of biking’s Monuments, Mathieu van der Poel has gained 4. An alarming stat for the Belgian and one which can little question have lingered in the back of his thoughts after Van der Poel was the primary man throughout the road within the Roubaix velodrome final April.
Van Aert gained Milan-San Remo in 2020 however has failed so as to add additional Monument victories to his palmarès since. For a lot of his profession, he has been unable to flee comparisons along with his long run rival and that exhibits no indicators of abating anytime quickly.
The 29-year-old runs the danger of being labelled a Classics almost man, a perennial runner up, notably to Van der Poel. Nonetheless, rejigged programme within the construct as much as his Spring marketing campaign this yr means it is all in for Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, it is now or by no means.
He has already gained as soon as on the cobbles this yr, at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, however that can largely rely for nothing if he fails to ship one or each of the large ticket objects for Visma-Lease a Bike in a fortnight’s time. Kuurne is a Basic, sure, however not one of many similar status because the essential races which Van Aert must ship in.
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Van Aert already has the sort of trophy cupboard that many professionals can solely dream of. 9 particular person phases on the Tour de France – in addition to a inexperienced factors jersey – and wins at a few of biking’s main one-day races. However with just one Monument to his identify, it nonetheless looks like there’s one thing lacking if you examine his report to his rival. At 29, time is beginning to run out to alter that too.
In addition to Roubaix, Van der Poel beat Van Aert at each Milan-San Remo final yr and within the World Championships highway race within the streets of Glasgow.
Aside from the odd cyclo-cross race and final yr’s E3 Saxo Financial institution Basic, Van Aert has largely been unable to get the higher of him of late. It’s been clear that has rattled him prior to now, however heading into the subsequent races he says that’s totally different now after discovering peace along with his largest critic, himself.
After profitable E3, Van Aert turned to the tv cameras and yelled “Ik moet simply niks [I don’t need to do anything]” in a bid to silence his sceptics. However the truth that slipped out suggests Van der Poel having the sting was taking part in on his thoughts.
Delivering this April would lastly kick that very same self doubt into contact and elevate the burden of residence expectation from his shoulders for good.
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Van Aert heads into his subsequent races after an altitude camp on Mount Teide in Tenerife. He instructed Het Laatste Nieuws that he discovered watching San Remo from afar stress-free and that he’s comparatively stress free going into the subsequent occasions on his calendar. This means a brand new method, one through which he’s now at one with himself and fewer inclined to open the window and let the noise from outdoors pour in.
“I have been feeling much less strain for an entire yr than I had prior to now,” he stated. “I do not deny that strain is a problem to cope with.
“2023 could have been the primary time that my season was barely worse than the yr earlier than. Till then I had all the time accomplished higher than anticipated. That gave me an perception that I should not do it for anybody else apart from myself. It offers me a sense of peace. I should not do that to indicate somebody that I can do it or to show somebody fallacious.”
His new zen method to competitors is one which will definitely stand him in good stead. Van Aert doesn’t deserve the label of being a virtually man, however he is aware of it’s one he’ll inevitably be given ought to he fail to ship on his promise.
Submit-E3 he was proper, he shouldn’t need to do something additional with a view to show his value, however equally, he’ll know that it is the nature of the beast and the circus that’s skilled biking and elite sport.
Win Roubaix or Flanders after which he actually doesn’t have to do rather more, biking greatness, might be assured. Cross the road first in a Monument within the subsequent fortnight, and that new discovered peace might be eternal, his job will effectively and actually be accomplished.
