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It was on, then it was off, then it was on again, and we’re hoping it’s still on. Wout van Aert vs Mathieu van der Poel has been shaping up to be the most iconic Classics rivalry since Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen. The back issues caused by van der Poel’s crash at the Tokyo Games in August appeared to have resolved themselves towards the end of the road season, with third place at Paris-Roubaix and a solid eighth place at the Worlds in Leuven. But a patchy cross season in mid-February saw the Dutchman’s Alpecin team talking about how he was still testing out his back and undergoing rehabilitation. Would he ever be the same again?
Thankfully for Classics fans, and VDP himself of course, the answer appears to be yes. His recent win at the Tour of Flanders puts that beyond doubt.
It wasn’t his first win of the season either – five days previously he had scooped stage four of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali at Montecatini. Even more ominous perhaps for his rivals was VDP’s third place at Milan-San Remo – his first race of the season – two seconds behind winner Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) and at the same time as eighth place van Aert. The Belgian will be almost as happy with his season so far as VDP, except for the small point of having tested positive for Covid-19 going into Flanders and forgoing that race. His appearance at Roubaix remains dependent on his recovery but assuming he’s able to come back he’ll be considered one of the favourites as even a below-par van Aert is not to be underestimated.
Denne historien er fra April 14, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
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Denne historien er fra April 14, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CLASSIC BIKE - JOHNNY BERRY
Johnny be good at making beautiful lightweight bikes
UK SCENE - WUNDERKIND HUDSON WINS YORKSHIRE CX
Newly crowned junior hill-climb champ shows his versatility by winning round seven on the mud
WATT WORKS FOR ME TADEJ POGAČAR
The man himself - subject of this special issue - explains the key performance changes behind his record-breaking year
11 WAYS TO POG-UP YOUR PLAN
Tadej Pocačar's performance is out of reach but you can adapt his training to raise your game. Chris Marshall-Bell consults the experts to find out how
Why do modern aero bikes look less aero?
Are today's aero bikes really faster, or is marketing just getting better? Joe Baker investigates...
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
An Olympic year is always special and the cycling season once again delivered a year of highs and lows, from Pogi's triple to Katie Archibald's pre-Olympic trip
MEET THE PARENTS
What made Tadej Pogačar the phenomenon he is today? Chris Marshall-Bell went to Slovenia to meet his mum and dad, Mirko and Marjeta
HALF MAN HALF GOAT
Tadej Pogačar may have had a phenomenal season, but has he done enough to cement his status as the greatest of all time? Chris Marshall-Bell weighs the arguments for and against
Lefevere cashes in his chips and leaves cycling management
The news that Patrick Lefevere will step down as Quick Step boss marks the end of an era, after 22 years in charge
Mathieu van der Poel weighs up skipping Tour de France
Dutchman hints at missing Tour in favour of mtb Worlds bid, reports Tom Thewlis from Dénia, Spain
