Museeuw convinced Van Aert can win Tour of Flanders: “I don’t see him getting dropped on the Kwaremont”

It was especially Van Aert’s display in In Flanders Fields that impressed the three-time Tour of Flanders winner, as he saw Van Aert stay glued to Van der Poel’s wheel. “He got through one of Mathieu van der Poel’s tests on the Kemmelberg,” Museeuw said on the television programme De Afspraak. For the 31-year-old all-rounder, that was a clear sign of progress. “Over the past two years, he had to let go on the Oude Kwaremont.”

With better legs, Museeuw believes his compatriot can stay with the very best deep into the finale, even with a rider like Pogačar. From there, Van Aert has to be smart about how he races. “I don’t see him getting dropped there this year. What should he do, in my view? Just follow and stay on the wheel. Just get over the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg and don’t do too much work.”

Over the past four editions, Van der Poel and Pogačar have been untouchable in Flanders, with two wins each in Belgium’s biggest one-day race. And yet Museeuw believes Van Aert, thanks to his tactical intelligence, could still upset the script laid out by the two top favourites. “Sit in, take advantage for a moment, and beat them both at the line. Belgium would go crazy. The recent races were encouraging, but as a former rider I look at that through a different lens.”

In In Flanders Fields, Van der Poel and Van Aert did not manage to stay clear, but what happened on the Kemmelberg offers plenty of encouragement ahead of Sunday. “Even though Van der Poel was having a relatively lesser day, he still wanted to test where Wout van Aert stands in terms of explosiveness. He passed that test well. That should have given Van Aert a boost.”

Van Aert’s confidence should also have been lifted by last Sunday’s race. Even his second place in Dwars door Vlaanderen — where Filippo Ganna came past him inside the final 100 metres — should be seen in a positive light, according to Museeuw. “It should give him the determination not to get dropped on the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg, and to win the Tour of Flanders for the first time.”