Cancellara admires Van der Poel, but also stands up for Van Aert: "I know the situation and was glad to see that"

“Mathieu was the deserved winner. That crash from Tadej Pogacar was unfortunate, but Van der Poel still showed he was the strongest in the end. He’ll have to pay for the dinner now for the triple or multiple winners,” joked the former Swiss pro.

“There’s definitely a chance he becomes the sole record holder. Although it’s getting harder with the new generation coming up, Mathieu is still the rider of the moment. He is the rightful king of the classics. All I can say is ‘chapeau,’” Cancellara added.

He also appreciated the fighting spirit of Wout van Aert. “Even more than Pogacar or Van der Poel, who were once again doing their usual business, I was focused on Wout. The whole country is watching him and has huge expectations, but I was happy to see he was still up front at the end. I know the situation and thought it was great to see that he keeps trying and never gives up,” he said.

Greg Van Avermaet, also a former winner of the Hell of the North, shared his thoughts on Wout van Aert during the Wuyts & Vlaeminck podcast. "Unfortunately, Wout had to respond too often. In my opinion, he was actually better in the Tour of Flanders than in Paris-Roubaix, which everyone expected to be the other way around."

Van Avermaet believes his fellow Belgian could approach things differently. "I would try to race more old-school. Van der Poel and Pogacar didn’t really go on altitude training camps, and you can see that it’s still possible to be in great shape without one. That kind of preparation could suit Van Aert as well—he’d be closer to his wife and kids, and it would be mentally less taxing."

"If you then pick the right races where you can immediately get a result, you can go into the Flemish classics without too much pressure. And that works in his favor." By the way, Van Aert is still set to race the Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race.