Michel Wuyts says that Wout van Aert “has to be 110 percent” to catch Tadej Pogacar in the Spring Classics.

Wout van Aert has picked out six races for the cyclocross season of 2024–2025. At least Team Visma | Lease a Bike says that this shorter winter program is because they want to focus on getting the most out of the Spring Classics. But Belgian cycle expert Michel Wuyts says that Van Aert might need to be even better than his best to beat Tadej Pogacar.

“From the E3 Saxo Classic to the Ronde, Tadej Pogacar is riding in three five-star races in Flanders.” Wuyts says in his Het Laatste Nieuws column, “He’ll want to win those monsters because he’s so hungry.” “This world champion can do anything.” Van Aert is now on my mind. Since Tuesday, he’s known that he needs to be at full strength at the start of April.

But because Pogacar is there, Wuyts says it’s more likely that UAE Team Emirates will win the races than Van Aert’s Visma team. “In ’25, it won’t be as annoyingly dull as the Tour of ’24.” “The greatest world champion of the last 50 years at the start, that’s sure to be a great show,” he says. “Team UAE will, of course, set the pace.” First, to keep everyone safe. Flanders still has too many deaths, which is a shame. Pogacar will almost never sit further back than row two. Don’t doubt his group. That crazy beat dance can be done by a group with Wellens, Politt, Florian Vermeersch, Bjerg, Morgado, Herregodts, Narváez, or Baroncini. Pogacar will be in tough spots in the box, in part because of the addition of Belgians. He will take over his soft seat himself if a bug causes chaos. Like he did in 2023. With a huge amount of force.”

The Belgian expert is still very impressed by Pogacar, though, and thinks he’ll be at his best again in the spring. “It warms my heart that he is now brave enough to take on that seemingly impossible combination of Flanders and Ardennes again.” Yes, he can also add the trio of Amstel, Wallonne, and Liège. “In the end, he says, good guys do good things.”