Former riders highlight key detail in Wout van Aert's spring classics: "Better than in 2021"

Bakelants was full of praise for Remco Evenepoel, who rode a fantastic race and finished third. "More than Evenepoel, I thought Wout van Aert was the big moral winner in this Gold Race," he said in his column for Het Laatste Nieuws. "We've been criticizing his sprint in recent weeks, but on Sunday, it was really on point. In the chasing group, he beat Michael Matthews, a man with an impressive track record in the Ardennes races who was always fast after such a tough and long one-day classic."

Second in the Brabantse Pijl and second in Dwars door Vlaanderen: things have not been going well for van Aert in recent months. But his compatriot is encouraging him. "Let this be Wout's most satisfying podium finish of the spring. A nice way to end the season and, above all, a real boost ahead of the Giro, where I think he can achieve great things."

Danielson also saw a strong Van Aert. He also reflects on the Brabantse Pijl, where he parries the criticism directed at the Belgian. "I was caught off guard today by how much negative chatter followed Wout Van Aert’s excellent performance in Brabantse Pijl," he says in his analysis on X. "Are many seeing what I’m seeing? Apparently not. So I took a few minutes this afternoon to share my thoughts on his comeback performances—and how they might be pointing to bigger-picture goals that most people are missing."

Critics think back to the 30-year-old Belgian's sprint victories in the Tour de France. In 2021, he won the 'sprinters' World Championship' on the Champs-Élysées. But the American former rider highlights an important fact. "Ironically, '2021 Champs-Élysées-winning Wout' lost Brabantse Pijl in a sprint to 128-pound Tom Pidcock. Yes, that’s right—the same guy who, in the same year, won the field sprint on the Champs-Élysées got beaten by a rookie pro climber in a sprint."

"This year? Wout lost the sprint to Olympic champion Remco… after both of them dropped Pidcock on a climb earlier. That sounds like an improvement over 2021 to me." That's why Danielson thinks Van Aert will be just fine for the rest of his season. After the Giro d'Italia, he will also be at the start of the Tour de France, where Danielson expects to see the old Van Aert back. "Was he exceptional in the Tour de France in 2021? Absolutely. I would expect something similar in 2025."