Cycling: Why Wout van Aert's rivals think he will win it all

Wout van Aert is truly a great hope for Belgian cycling. And it's not just the fans who think so. Some rivals - and not the least - also think that "he is the favourite for all the upcoming races". Is that so?

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The least we can say is that Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert impressed during the last Tirreno-Adriatico, which took place from 6 to 12 March 2023. In particular, stage 6 was remembered as the Jumbo-Visma rider set a hell of a pace, putting his pursuers to the test.

Cyclist Julian Alaphilippe also commented on the performance of our compatriot. He said he was simply amazed by Wout van Aert, even though Alaphilippe is not a beginner. On the contrary, he has a lot of experience as a classics specialist, but also as a double world champion (2020 and 2021). The Frenchman won Milan-San Remo 2019, the San Sebastian Classic 2018, the Flèche Wallonne 2018, 2019 and 2021 and the Strade Bianche 2019. He was also awarded the title of best climber in the Tour de France in 2018 and finished that event in fifth place in 2019. 

"He is the favourite for all the upcoming races"

Although Wout van Aert didn't win the sixth stage (that was Primoz Roglic), he impressed his opponents when, in the middle of the "Tappa dei Muri", he set the pace of the peloton for a long time. But not everybody liked this rhythm, especially Julian Alaphilippe who made a gesture towards the Belgian... which he explained after the finish line.

© Twitter

In his interview with Sporza, Julian Alaphilippe said that "it was too much for me, it was really hard. In the end I was able to come back, but I had to make a lot of effort. The domination of Jumbo-Visma was clear and obvious, Roglic was incredible. But on Saturday, Wout impressed me the most. He really did something crazy, he is the favourite for all the races to come." That says it all. Yes, Wout van Aert will go very far!

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