Oliver Naesen says racing against Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert is more like being in the MotoGP than the professional peloton, given the speed of the pair.
The Belgian was speaking in a podcast interview with La Dernière Heure about his spring campaign, saying it's almost impossible to keep up with either rider.
“Every generation has its champions. I have experienced Boonen vs Cancellara, Van Avermaet vs Sagan, and now Van Aert vs Van der Poel," Naesen said. "But you only saw Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara in the spring and maybe a few stages in the Tour. Mathieu and Wout win at the start of the season and are favorites in all the classics. Last year, Van Aert was also the best rider in the Tour.
"Then they go on holiday for a while before bending all cyclocross races to their will. Those two are at the top non-stop. Is that frustrating? It's more motivating, although it would be nice if they were just a little less good, ha! Can I keep up with them? Then I'll need more talent."
>>> Mark Cavendish confirmed for Tour de France 2021
In news that will hardly reassure the fast men of the upcoming Tour de France, where Van der Poel will be making his Tour debut and Wout van Aert confirmed his form has returned, winning the Belgian national road race title after having his appendix removed, Naesen says he hasn't yet figured out how anyone is supposed to beat them.
"I'm just missing a few extra watts. For a Classics rider, I'm pretty fast in the sprint, but those guys are super fast. You should already be able to follow them and then get to the finish as fresh as possible. Knowing they have a better end shot. That's challenging," he said. "Sometimes I really wonder how the hell am I supposed to attack those guys with a bike. It's exactly like MotoGP with them.”
Van Aert will be performing super-domestique duties for Jumbo-Visma team-mate Primož Roglič as the Dutch team tries to capture the yellow jersey, but the Belgian will likely be allowed to contest the sprint victories in the eight flat stages in this year's edition.
Van der Poel, meanwhile, will likely target both the flat and hillier stages, and as leader of the Alpecin-Fenix squad will look to come away from France with at least a stage win.
-
-
British Road National Championships 2021 start list: Mark Cavendish, Ethan Hayter and Alice Barnes all down to ride
Mark Cavendish, Ben Swift, Ethan Hayter, Alice Barnes, Joss Lowden, and others set to race in Lincoln
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Petr Vakoč retires from cycling at the age of 29 after successful injury comeback
The former Czech road race champion never made it back to his peak form after being hit by lorry in South Africa in 2018
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
'Sometimes I feel sorry for Van Aert and Evenepoel': Primož Roglič speaks about the pressure put on Belgian stars
The three time Vuelta a España winner compares the pressure on Slovenian ski jumpers to Belgian cyclists
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel finishes in top-10 of all Monuments in just 14 months
The Dutch star is the second fastest rider ever to achieve the feat, behind Eddy Merckx
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
'It was chaos from section one': Wout van Aert says victory was not possible for him at Paris-Roubaix 2021
The Belgian champion admits he was mispositioned when Mathieu van der Poel made his key attack
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel says he 'was the most broken of all' in Paris-Roubaix sprint
The Dutchman has now finished in the top-10 in each of the sport's five Monuments
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
-
Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel saga rolls on as Belgian champion looks to rebound in Roubaix
Confusion over team leadership isn't an issue as Van Aert returns to his trade team to battle for the first Paris-Roubaix title since April 2019
By Jonny Long •
-
'I think it would be quite cool if it rains': Mathieu van der Poel ready to take on the challenge at debut Paris-Roubaix
The Dutch rider comes into the 'Hell of the North' after a solid top 10 at the World Championships
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mathieu van der Poel will ride World Championships road race
The Dutch star has recovered from his back injury enough to compete for the rainbow bands
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Wout van Aert: 'It's not funny anymore to get second' after another silver medal in Flanders Worlds ITT
After the 2020 Worlds, 2021 cyclocross Worlds and 2021 Olympic road race, the Belgian adds another silver medal to his collection in the space of a year
By Jonny Long •
