Wout van Aert will have to 'come in fighting' after Dylan van Baarle stars on Jumbo-Visma debut – Dani Rowe

ByBen Snowball

Published 25/02/2023 at 19:50 GMT

Wout van Aert missed out on defending his title at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, with new Jumbo-Visma team-mate Dylan van Baarle starring in his absence. Van Aert has been the runaway No. 1 pick for Classics at Jumbo, but Eurosport expert Dani Rowe wonders how the Belgian superstar will be feeling after watching his compatriot romp clear to victory on Sunday.

Wout van Aert will have to “come in fighting” after Jumbo-Visma produced a tactical masterclass in his absence at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Eurosport expert Dani Rowe has claimed.

Dylan van Baarle conjured a superb solo victory after dismissing his fellow breakaway acts one after another, with Christophe Laporte later parking himself in a chase group, ready to pounce if his team-mate unravelled. He did not.

With Van Aert skipping the race after a busy cyclo-cross season, which culminated in him narrowly missing out on the world title to rival Mathieu van der Poel, Van Baarle was handed a share of leadership duties on his debut for the team.

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“New team, new motivation,” Rowe said of Van Baarle, who arrived from Ineos Grenadiers in the winter.

“And what better way to start off the season. It’s going to give him so much confidence and I think Wout van Aert – knowing Jumbo have got such a strong team, so many cards to play – will have to come in fighting in his first race back on the road.”

Van Aert is unlikely to be too concerned given his lengthy palmarès, with Van Baarle’s success further underlining Jumbo’s status as the supreme force in one-day racing.

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Men’s race highlights: Van Baarle stars in Jumbo-Visma domination

Van Baarle picked off Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious), Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Dstny) and Mathis Le Berre (Cofidis), then comfortably held off a four-strong chase group to take victory.

“What can you say about him really? It’s a classic Dylan van Baarle move,” said Adam Blythe.

“When everyone’s just on the limit and looking around to see when the next attack is coming, that’s when he plants in that devastating blow.

“He did exactly the same in Roubaix and he’s done the same in Flanders before, attacking when it’s really difficult.

“It’s the way he likes to ride, he likes to go out front, he likes to get that little bit of a gap and take a few riders with him. Once he’s settled into his rhythm, there is no stopping him.”

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