Spotted on Strava: During the Slovenians' weekend, Van Aert may have delivered the most impressive performance

Back on the road! This section has been missing for a few months due to understaffing, but Strava is too great a medium to neglect. So, during the offseason, we're back to keeping track of the numbers, aiming to be more active in this regard in 2024. In this edition, we'll take a look back at the Tour of Lombardy and the World Gravel Championship, where Tadej Pogacar and Wout van Aert showcased their talents once again.

Pogacar emerged as the strongest at Il Lombardia last Saturday, securing his third consecutive win in the race. However, this victory did not come without its share of suffering, as Pogi could only break away from the pack during the downhill section, and he had to endure cramps and other challenges on his way to the finish line. "For the first time, I experienced cramps in my right leg, and then in my left leg too. I thought it was over, but I pushed through," he reflected on the race.

On the other hand, Van Aert faced his own set of challenges on Sunday, mostly of a mental nature. While he had strong legs (more on that later), he never had the opportunity to showcase them at the front of the race. Mechanical issues, a crash, and a flat tire set him back by nearly fifteen minutes, and even Van Aert couldn't bridge that gap. Let's dive into the numbers!

Pogacar made difference in Lombardy in descent

Did Pogacar not have miraculous legs in the Tour of Lombardy? It certainly seemed that way. UAE Team Emirates even mentioned "a cough" afterward, suggesting that the Slovenian leader wasn't in peak condition. Nevertheless, Pogacar's Strava-file was undeniably impressive. His bike computer recorded a distance of 232.10 kilometers, with an elevation gain of 4,357 meters, all covered in just 5 hours and 49 minutes. This translated to an average speed of 39.9 kilometers per hour, just slightly below the official figures from Procyclingstats of 40.1 kilometers per hour.

A pivotal stage in the race was the ascent of the Passo di Ganda, where Pogacar had made his move in 2021, and he repeated it two years later. While his performance in 2021 appeared graceful and seemingly effortless, this time around, we witnessed a grimace from Pogacar, who ultimately made the difference during the descent. It's worth noting that, according to Strava, he ascended the Passo di Ganda in 22 minutes and 41 seconds, a staggering eight seconds faster than in 2021.

The big difference from that year was the descent. Pogacar stated afterwards that he knew the turns better now and went down full speed. The numbers don't lie: in 2021 the UAE leader popped down in 11 minutes and 35 seconds, two years later he did it a whopping 28 seconds faster! A big fat KOM for Pogacar, who finally created the difference in that descent that proved enough for a "Hattrick Il Lombardia," as he called his Strava upload.

Van Aert rode faster than Mohoric, but did not win

A day after the Tour of Lombardy, the focus went to the World Gravel Championship. And here, too, a man who made the difference in the descent won. Matej Mohoric was on point all day and eventually rode solo to the rainbow jersey in Treviso. A clever feat: 166.91 kilometers and 2,173 altimeters in 4 hours, 54 minutes and 13 seconds; said Strava. 34.0 kilometers per hour averaged an estimated average power output of 274 watts. That's with his PCS estimated weight of 72 kilograms an average of 3.8 watts per kilogram.

While Mohoric's performance was noteworthy, the standout of the day may not have been the Slovenian at all, but rather a Belgian who "only" finished eighth. Wout van Aert encountered numerous obstacles and ultimately finished 8.22 minutes behind the winner. However, when you examine his Strava data, it reveals that he covered 166.74 kilometers with an elevation gain of 2,110 altimeters, all completed in a moving time of 4 hours, 51 minutes, and 39 seconds. Yes, you read that correctly—Van Aert was 2.34 minutes faster than Mohoric during the World Championship.

Van Aert maintained an average speed of 34.3 kilometers per hour, delivering a performance worthy of a World Championship title. His eighth-place finish was primarily due to the misfortune he encountered along the way, which cost him nearly 15 minutes. In a nod to the stark difference between his time and Mohoric's, he posted on Instagram, "Find the fault," alluding to Mohoric's finishing time and the data from his own Garmin. Not surprisingly, Thijs Zonneveld, among others, expressed astonishment at the Belgian, who in anonymity went faster than everyone else.

Vfor more Spotted on Strava, click here.