Bakelants doesn't agree with van Aert's "difficult season": "Author of one of the cycling moments of the year"

Of course, Evenepoel must be mentioned first. The Soudal Quick-Step team leader won eight times, including victories at the World Championships, the European Championships, and the Tour de France. “And we have to be honest: without that accident in training in December '24 and the accompanying rehabilitation, Remco would have achieved even better results this season,” Bakelants said in Het Laatste Nieuws.

“And certainly in the spring, in races where Pogacar did not appear at the start, such as Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, the Basque Country, and Catalonia, that would have led to a higher number of victories. So it's impressive what he still managed to achieve in those six months. His world and European titles and places of honor must also be taken into account, because they are of the same caliber.”

Bakelants is very complimentary about Van Aert. The Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike had a difficult spring, without any victories. However, the total of only two victories is somewhat misleading. "There are victories and then there are victories. In marketing terms, a victory on a Sunday in a Grand Tour is always worth more than one on, say, Tuesday or Thursday."

And what victories they were: after podium places in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the 31-year-old Flemish rider went to the Giro d'Italia, where he was left empty-handed after a week. However, on the day before the rest day, he scored a magnificent victory in Siena. In the Tour de France, he made his mark by dropping Tadej Pogacar on Montmartre and winning on the Champs-Elysées.

“Achievements for the collective memory, which he will still be talked about in thirty years,” says Bakelants. “The latter was particularly fantastic. Wout was the author of one of the cycling moments of the year. After what was certainly not his easiest Tour de France, in which he initially failed a lot. It once again demonstrated his exceptional mental resilience.”

Evenepoel, Van Aert... Their success was somewhat expected. But Bakelants names Ilan Van Wilder as the surprise of the year. “That bronze medal at the World Time Trial Championships in Kigali was pretty much the icing on the cake for him. Because when he didn't have to give his all for Evenepoel, he still managed to finish in the top ten three times in a smaller WorldTour stage race.”

Team leader Evenepoel is leaving Soudal Quick-Step for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe next year, which will give Van Wilder more room to race for himself. “Next year, that burden will be lifted from his shoulders, and he will become one of the most interesting figures to follow. His results already prove that he is on the right track. We are yet to see what Ilan is capable of."