Cyclingflash
Visma director Arthur van Dongen: "Wout van Aert gets better every week"

Visma director Arthur van Dongen: "Wout van Aert gets better every week"

Koen Middendorp

He increased the pace on the second climb of the Kemmelberg and rode for a long time up front with Mathieu van der Poel: Wout van Aert showed strong legs on Sunday during In Flanders Fields. Visma | Lease a Bike team director Arthur van Dongen also noticed that. "He is simply strong," he said after the race to our camera.

Van Aert made an impression along the way but ultimately came away empty-handed. How big is the disappointment within the team? "We always race to win, so there is quite some disappointment. But nonetheless, we still secured a nice podium (with Christophe Laporte, ed.) and saw a very strong Wout van Aert."

On Kielich's withdrawal
Van Dongen is really upset about Timo Kielich dropping out. "The biggest disappointment is losing Timo. That’s a real shame for the upcoming races. It does look like a collarbone fracture. That will be a significant loss. Timo has shown he fits well with us and is in good form. It’s very unfortunate to lose him now in these crucial weeks for the team and for himself."

Where Kielich literally fell out of the race, his countryman Van Aert made a strong impression on the road to Wevelgem. Was there real confidence within the team that Van Aert could hold on until the finish line? "Of course, that confidence was there. But the race goes as it does, and in the end, it turned into a sprint from a reduced peloton, where fortunately we secured a podium spot again with Christophe Laporte."

Close together
How pleased is the team with Van Aert’s form? "The press always asks: 'how good is Wout van Aert?', but for us, that’s not a question," Van Dongen deflects. "I think Wout is getting better week by week. He is simply strong."

What does today's race teach the team director heading into the next classics? "It shows us the level is very broad and that riders and teams are very close to each other in a race like Gent-Wevelgem. Wednesday the Dwars door Vlaanderen is on the schedule: new race, new opportunities."