Bakelants criticises Van Aert and Van der Poel before World Championship road race: 'It also throws your hormone balance off'

Van Aert and Van der Poel, as classics specialists, are still considered favorites for the World Championships, despite a challenging climbing course in Montreal. The climbs are challenging but not too long, so Van Aert and Van der Poel—who have both proven time and again that they can ride well uphill—should be able to make an impact.

Van Aert proved in the Vuelta a España that he is back in the top form he once had. He won two stages, claimed the green points jersey, and played a decisive role—both on climbs and on the flat—in helping his teammates at Visma | Lease a Bike achieve their goals. By early August, he had also already won three stages in the Tour of Denmark, as well as the overall classification.

Van der Poel also seems ready for the World Championships. After a disappointing Mountain Bike World Championships in August, he returned to the road at the Tour of Luxembourg following a training block. There, he won two stages, with his performance in Stage 5 being particularly impressive. Van der Poel recorded a 174-kilometer solo breakaway— the longest of this century.

The Tour of Luxembourg wrapped up last Sunday, so Van der Poel couldn’t have headed to Canada much earlier. He had already mentioned during the five-day stage race that he really needed the training block following the MTB World Championships to get back into top form for the World Championships. The race in Luxembourg provided a welcome competitive boost.

Van Aert, on the other hand, had already finished racing. After missing the Tour (due to an elbow injury), he planned a training block, rode the Tour of Denmark, did another training block, and then completed the Vuelta. That race ended on September 13, but Van Aert decided to stay in Belgium for another week and complete a few more solid training sessions there.

Just two days after finishing the Vuelta a España, Van Aert was back on his bike for a 32-kilometer recovery ride. In the days that followed, he added nearly 60 and nearly 135 kilometers with Bakelants. “Saving Jan from loneliness,” Van Aert wrote in the caption.

The week wrapped up with rides of 201, 47, and 164 kilometers. “Why train uphill when you can also ride into the wind?” he joked.

Strangely enough, it was Bakelants who took a critical stance toward Van Aert and Van der Poel in Tuesday’s edition of the HLN. He may have already mentioned this while riding, but according to the former Belgian cyclist, Van Aert in particular should have already been in Canada to better acclimatise ahead of the World Championships on September 27.

World Championship competitors Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, and Paul Seixas have been in Montreal for some time, where they raced the GP Montreal and all three completed the World Championship time trial last Saturday.

Van Aert and Van der Poel flew to Canada early Tuesday morning. According to Bakelants, the jet lag from that trip shouldn’t be underestimated. “I’ve experienced it myself: when your day-and-night rhythm is disrupted, it also throws your hormone balance off.”

Although Van Aert and Van der Poel will still have several days to arrive in Montreal, Bakelants would have preferred to see them both in Canada sooner. He calls the decisions to race in Luxembourg and spend a week training in Belgium “a logical choice,” but adds: “Leaving so late is by no means an advantage.”

"I understand that Wout wanted to spend some time at home after all those weeks away, and I understand that Mathieu would have preferred to race in Luxembourg, but I'm afraid the jet lag is still going to take its toll on them." Incidentally, Van der Poel had already dismissed the possibility of jet lag, noting that the trip from Belgium to Canada usually poses no problems, whereas the reverse is often the case.