Nathan Van Hooydonck: "I saw little bit of disappointment on Wout van Aert's face, and I like that"

Van Hooydonck watched his former team leader Wout van Aert start his season on Monday in the Clásica Jaén, where the Belgian couldn’t make an impact. Van Aert felt he wasn’t at his best and ultimately sacrificed himself for Ben Tulett. "That was also for his own benefit—because in our team, the goal is always to improve. That’s how we work: if you’re not good enough to win, you help someone else. Wout was also focused on putting in that extra effort rather than just giving up," Van Hooydonck explained.

At the Volta ao Algarve, Van Aert couldn’t secure a stage win. "Maybe he’s still missing a bit of sharpness. In the sprint, he could have been a bit more aggressive and taken more risks. But on the other hand, he didn’t really have a dedicated lead-out man. Tiesj did a great job positioning him in the final kilometer a few times, and from there, Wout had to figure it out on his own, so to speak."

"That definitely played a role," added Van Hooydonck, who now works in Visma | Lease a Bike’s office. "If Christophe Laporte had been there, those guys would have cruised through the final kilometer, and Christophe would have ensured that Wout could start his sprint from second or third position. When you have a clear path, you don’t have to worry about anyone else."

No reason for concern at all. "It’s also important to remember that this is just a preparation race. These aren’t Wout’s biggest goals," Van Hooydonck said about Jaén and the Algarve. "Of course, he wants to sprint and win quickly, but he also knows that’s not what it’s all about. It’s about the big prizes, and that starts on Saturday."

"From what I’ve heard from the guys in the team, who were with him at training camp, he’s feeling good. That’s a sign of confidence," said the former rider, who also saw Van Aert come very close to victory in the final time trial of the Volta ao Algarve. "I saw a little bit of disappointment on Wout’s face there, but I actually like that. It means he’s hungry and really wants it."

When asked for his prediction for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Van Hooydonck named a different Visma | Lease a Bike rider. "Tiesj Benoot. I still talk to the guys occasionally, and I’ve been hearing a lot of positive things about Tiesj. He’s feeling really good. Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar aren’t racing, but Wout is. A lot of eyes will be on him, and I think Tiesj can take advantage of that," predicted Van Hooydonck, who himself finished second behind Benoot in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2023.