"Choices must be made"; is VLamax-goal the reason for Wout van Aert's disappointing sprints?

Jan Bakelants says to Sporza that "the expectations have been fulfilled." According to the former rider, there was no question in his mind that Evenepoel would do well. "We all expected Remco would compete for the prizes from the first push of the pedals. Doubts? Of course, he fueled those himself. Evenepoel didn't tweet much about what he had been doing in training. On the contrary, he downplayed expectations by discussing how difficult the process had been."

Bakelants does not want to detract from what he considers 'an impressive journey' that Evenepoel has made since his training accident in December. "It's not easy to win your first race again. Evenepoel is someone with great pride who wants to prove himself immediately." That said, there's nothing wrong with his performance or his sprint. "Based on today, he can follow Tadej Pogacar in the Ardennes, but that's a different story. We've already seen this spring that Pogacar goes for it and keeps going. Many have already tried and failed."

"It's still Wout van Aert, right? He hasn't had a bad sprint in a long time. Last year, he won bunch sprints in the Vuelta. Our gut tells us he's faster than Evenepoel, but that's not the case anymore," says Bakelants. What does that mean for the Amstel Gold Race? "Based on the Brabantse Pijl, I wouldn't rule it out, but that's a completely different story. We've already seen Pogacar this spring, so he can go for it and keep going. Many have already tried and failed. For us neutral viewers, I hope Evenepoel can keep up with him because I want to see that sprint between those two."

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Bakelants also analyzed the race of his friend Van Aert, who lost the sprint on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike. "Choices must be made during training at the training camp in Tenerife. I think they wanted to train the VLamax, your body's ability to build up lactic acid very quickly, as low as possible for longer efforts," said the former rider.

"That might make van Aert seem less good than a few years ago. But then we forget that he is generating more power now than he was then. The level has simply risen, and Van Aert is excellent," said Bakelants. "He's coming up against some phenomenal riders, but that can't fully explain his sprint. So, choices have been made that need to be reviewed. The luxury of getting to the finish line and winning the sprint is priceless. He's lost that."