A look back in history: What to expect from van der Poel and van Aert this fall

Let's go back to 2022. Van der Poel rode the Tour de France, but failed to impress and withdrew in the eleventh stage. He had also just come off a very active Giro d'Italia, plus a busy spring: he was getting a little worn out. After more than a month without racing, he returned in small Belgian races, such as the Druivenkoers and Izegem Koers. After a victory in the GP Wallonie, he returned to the World Championships in Australia, where he withdrew from the road race after the infamous hotel incident. A finish on gravel marked the end of his season.

A year later, the Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck took a completely different approach. No Giro, but the Tour. However, he rode in support of Jasper Philipsen, who won four stages and the green jersey. After the Tour, all eyes turned to Glasgow, where an early World Championships would take place shortly after La Grande Boucle. There, Van der Poel took the rainbow jersey before ending his season with two French one-day races in Belgium, where he won the SUPER 8 Classic.

Last year, after the Tour, where he played the same role as in 2023, there were no World Championships, but there were the Olympic Games in Paris. The mission to win gold failed, and the world champion traveled to the Renewi Tour. After limited success there (and the subsequent European Championships), he went to Luxembourg to prepare for the World Championships, where he took bronze on the grueling course in Zurich.

With all this information in mind, what can we expect? Van der Poel announced on Thursday that he will be back at the start of the Renewi Tour. He had limited success there last year, and he is now returning after a mediocre preparation. “I haven't raced since I withdrew from the Tour de France, so it remains to be seen how fit I am,” he said. “But I like the course. I've marked the stage that finishes in Geraardsbergen on the third day in red.”

What will happen after the Renewi Tour is a mystery. Earlier this year, the all-rounder said he was not interested in the World Championships in Rwanda. The course did not suit him, but he would much rather compete in the Mountain Bike World Championships. A rainbow jersey on the fat tires was the goal, but after his mediocre preparation—including the crash in Novo Mesto—it remains to be seen whether that is realistic.

While Van der Poel often peaks in the spring, it's very different for Van Aert. The Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike is good all year round, as his previous seasons have shown. In 2022, he won three stages and the green jersey in the Tour. He returned to racing in the Cyclassics Hamburg; he has now chosen that route again, as he was recently announced as a replacement for Olav Kooij in that race. A trip to Brittany ended in victory, after which he achieved top results in Canada and at the World Championships in Australia.

A year later, he chose to withdraw from the Tour after the 18th stage due to the birth of his second child. He returned to the World Championships, as did Van der Poel, where he finished second behind his rival. He did win the Tour of Britain, after which he achieved two podium places at the European Championships. In Italy, he ended his road season on a high note with a victory in the Coppa Bernocchi.

Last year, after the Tour de France, he went straight to the Olympics, where the Belgian won bronze in the time trial and played an important role in Remco Evenepoel's gold medal in the road race. After a difficult spring and a Tour without a stage win, he went to Spain for the Vuelta, where he won three stages. Everything seemed to be going great until the nasty crash that ended his season.

This overview shows that Van Aert is generally more successful in the fall than his Dutch rival. His program for the rest of the season is very similar to that of 2022, when he also competed in Hamburg (2nd), the Bretagne Classic (1st), the GP Québec (4th), and the GP Montréal (2nd). Now the Deutschland Tour and SUPER 8 Classic have been added: no World Championships. You can count on plenty of success for van Aert!