Can Van Aert handle Pogacar-Van der Poel level? Bakelants has doubts: "I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes"

On Saturday, the entire cycling world enjoyed an incredible spectacle in northern Italy. Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, and Filippo Ganna made it a great show in Milan-Sanremo, and every fan was on the edge of their seat. But one person may have watched it with less enthusiasm: Wout van Aert, as Jan Bakelants states in his analysis for Het Laatste Nieuws.

After the race, the Belgian ex-cyclist still could not believe what he witnessed. "Three absolute top riders who rode away on the Cipressa, creating a spectacle among themselves and thus creating a dream scenario: it made it simple, recognizable, and understandable for the people. This is exactly what they want to see.' This edition will go down in the history books," he says. "You just can't overlook this news. Usually, the flow is ruled by the issues of the day and the knowledge that tomorrow, another 'news item' will present itself, causing what happened today to be quickly forgotten. But this is something for the history books. It will be remembered."

"This is because a major change occurred. This trend break should not be underestimated, as we have not seen it for a long time in the opening of the Monument of the season. And which could continue in the coming years. Suddenly, the whole physiology of this race changed. It has evolved from a sprinter's race to a semi-climb race," says the 39-year-old Fleming.

Due to developments in this edition of La Primavera, Bakelants sees that Remco Evenepoel can be added to the favorites list, provided he is at the start. "Pure sprinters, on the other hand, may be somewhat deterred by this development. However, that also depends, to a large extent, on the direction of the wind. Of course, you never know in advance, but if it's a headwind between Cipressa and Poggio, it could just as quickly be another bunch sprint on the Via Roma."

"The one person who can't be happy about this is Wout van Aert," his fellow countryman says. "I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now. The news has hit him on Tenerife. And he has had to take note of it. Okay, if you're not riding, you can't change anything. But after this demonstration, I can imagine that returning to compete against these riders on Friday in the E3 Saxo Classic is not a pleasant thought." Sporza also had doubts about Van Aert's chances.

"Of course, the scoreboard is reset to zero for every race. Wout is also mentally strong enough to handle this. I don't think he is that easily affected by all the media coverage on social media and in the newspapers; he doesn't let it get to him. But he will be well aware of what Van der Poel has achieved: winning a Monument and doing so in the most sensational, iconic way possible, silencing the best cyclist in the world."

The best rider in the world may have to return to the drawing board. "For Pogacar, Milan-Sanremo will be very difficult to win for the time being," Bakelants thinks. "That 'flat' final sprint is his biggest problem. Let the Via Roma slope slightly; it will be a different story. Tactically, it was almost perfect. You can't get much closer to 'PlayStation cycling'. He made the right moves at the right time."

Pogacar's focus turns to the next goal. And that may come sooner than expected because a start in Paris-Roubaix is possible. "He is so good that he can perform well in any race. And if he really wants to win the five Monuments, he will have to give it a go sooner or later. But that is mainly up to him to decide."

"Maybe this course isn't 100% made for him either," the former cyclist also knows. "And the return on investment is somewhat uncertain in that sense. There is also a certain risk involved. On the other hand, Tadej turns the laws of the cycling world upside down. Paris-Roubaix is an assault on the body, he always said. So, it should be avoided in the run-up to Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But for all we know, he could very well wipe the floor with the competition."