“Dylan van Barley is a leader, not an assistant to Wout van Aert” | Watt electric bike club

Wout van Aert wants to eliminate a blind spot on his list of honors with wins in the Tour of Flanders and/or Paris-Roubaix.

But fellow newcomer – and Omlob winner – Dylan van Barley can put sticks in the wheels according to our guest speakers from Wielerclub Wattage.

“Dylan is a rider who often creates the right conditions for himself. Jumbo-Visma would be no different,” says Bonin.

“Dylan is a very good leader to put next to Woot, but he really is a leader. He’s not a helper.”

Last year, Van Baarle finished second in the Ronde and first in Roubaix. “Dylan also comes to Flanders and Roubaix this year with the idea of ​​winning himself.”

“And if at worst he can no longer win himself, he will help Wout win.”

So Van Aert is not one step higher than Van Barley on the Yellow Ladder?

“I think Wout and Van Baarle will start on equal footing and with the same ambition,” says Boonen.

“Because of Van Baarle’s arrival, Jumbo-Visma has an annoying factor compared to the other teams. You also see that Van Baarle behaves better in the current situation than when he was driving at Ineos.”

With Benoot and Laporte, Jumbo-Visma has more weapons in the Tour of Flanders.

A condition that Tom Boonen (3-time winner of the Ronde and 4-time winner of Paris-Roubaix) still knows from his quick-step period. “I rode in the team with Bettini, Museeuw, Vandenbroucke, Gilbert and Terpstra.”

“Sometimes I got frustrated in racing. I could have won the Tour of Flanders again, for example.”

Boonen points to Stijn Devolder’s second Tour of Flanders victory in 2009. “I really should have won then. But if you drive with a strong team, it means give and take.”

So it’s possible Van Aert will swear multiple times this spring. “You have to learn to race against different leaders. It’s not always easy to turn that to your advantage.”

“Van Aert and Van Baarle are quite similar types in terms of stamina. Wout is of course faster in the sprint. But that opens a lot of doors for Dylan,” says Boonen.