Johan Museeuw: Wout van Aert lacks Mathieu van der Poel's killer instinct

Former world champion and six-time monument winner Johan Museeuw has told GCN that Wout van Aert needs to start adding to his collection of Classics wins and that potentially focusing on the Giro d’Italia could be a mistake.

The three-time winner of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders also believes that Mathieu van der Poel has a killer instinct in races that van Aert lacks.

Speaking to GCN at the Rouleur Live show in London, Museeuw predicted that the stars of 2023 would be the main favourites for the Spring Classics next season.

“Van der Poel is the first name because he won Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, and he is the world champion. He’ll be the favourite, but what we’ve seen from Tadej Pogačar in the Classics is also amazing. If he comes back then he’ll try and win Flanders again. If he climbs like he did this year, then he’ll win again,” Museeuw said.

“Then we have Wout van Aert. He’s won Milan-San Remo in the past, but then it stopped, so it’s time for him to focus more on the Classics. He’s not old, but it’s time for him to win. He has a zero in Flanders and Roubaix.”

Van Aert has certainly not been a disappointment in the Spring Classics when it comes to his consistency. He was second in Gent-Wevelgem this year and followed that up with fourth in the Tour of Flanders and third in Paris-Roubaix. However, Museeuw sets the bar high for a rider with such incredible talents.

“He’s been close but not close enough. He has already had placings in the top five and top three, but every year that you miss, it’s a year too late. For example, Peter Sagan stopped this year, but really he was a rider who should have won Flanders and Roubaix a couple of times, and Milan-San Remo. He won Flanders and Roubaix one time each, but if we talk about generational riders in the Classics, Tom Boonen won Roubaix four times, and three editions of Flanders,” Museeuw said.

Museeuw pointed to Gent-Wevelgem this year as an example of van Aert's generosity coming before individual success. Jumbo-Visma dominated the race with Christophe Laporte and van Aert crossing the line together, and the Frenchman taking the win.

“For me, van Aert misses some killer instinct to win a race. I mean, you don’t give away a race like Gent-Wevelgem. It’s not critical, and he’s kind for doing that, but at the end of your career what’s important is the races you’ve won. It’s not about what you’ve given away. Van der Poel is more of a killer than van Aert. Van Aert is happy to work for another rider, like in the Tour de France. Van der Poel doesn’t work for other riders. Sometimes he does the leadout for Jasper Philipsen, but that’s it. He doesn’t work for another rider for three weeks. I think that van Aert can win the biggest races. He’s got everything in the body to win Roubaix and Flanders, but for the moment he’s not done it.”

Stick to the Classics not the Giro d'Italia

Following the announcement of both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France routes there had been reports of van Aert potentially targeting the Giro GC. Such an idea was quickly dismissed by Jumbo-Visma with the team stating that their Grand Tour plans would be finalised in December. For Museeuw, however, the idea of van Aert targeting the Giro would only weaken his Classics campaign and detract from where the Jumbo-Visma rider has naturally shined.

“You need a focus and you need to focus on what you’re good at. Van Aert is good at one-day races. That’s where the focus should be. Of course he can be good in the Tour de France and he could do a top-ten in a Grand Tour but what’s that for? It’s clear he can’t win a race like the Tour de France,” Museeuw told GCN.

"I don’t think he can win the Giro and I wouldn’t alter my programme for a Giro where I have maybe a 50 percent chance of winning. Not when I have a 95 percent chance of winning in the Classics. If he wants to win the Giro he has to lose one or two kilos and do a different programme. That means he won’t be as strong in the Spring Classics. I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to target GC in the Giro. For me he has to target the Spring Classics, the one-day races and the Olympic Games.