Philippe Gilbert (opens in new tab) (Lot Soudal) has seen many talents rise and fall during his own long and illustrious career. He admires Wout Van Aert (opens in new tab) and Mathieu van der Poel (opens in new tab) who compete in cyclocross and classics, but questions how long the two multidisciplinary riders can maintain their current level and trajectory He states.

Van der Pol and Van Aert typically run cyclocross and road seasons at the same time. However, Gilbert believes that if this is not the case, both riders will have to sacrifice another discipline.

Gilbert was asked during Lotto Soudal's training camp whether Van der Pol and Van Art would be able to maintain that overwhelming level of intensity and life for the next five to six years, to which he replied, "I don't know if it is possible to maintain that level of intensity and life for a long time because it is mentally demanding." He answered.

In 2020, Van Aert took stage wins at Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, and Criterium du Dauphiné, two stage wins at the Tour de France, and silver medals in the world championship road race and time trial. Van der Pol was not in great form during the summer, but he was impressive in the classics and also did some MTB racing.

Gilbert crashed on the first stage of the Tour de France in Nice and had a disappointing 2020 due to injury, but has changed his technique and racing style over his long career. He was a menacing sprinter when he first turned pro, but has since concentrated on the Ardennes, achieving results in cobbled classics such as the Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. His only monument is Milan-San Remo.

Gilbert has had success in racing for 18 years, but warned that the intensity on Van der Pol and Van Aert would weigh on them in the future.

"They have no life outside of cycling. I don't know if they can hold out that long," Gilbert suggested.

"Maybe they'll have a really short but successful career, or maybe they'll have to choose one discipline; I don't know if they can sustain this for 365 days without a break; I don't know if they can sustain this for 365 days without a break. It's not easy to maintain this intensity."

Gilbert was also asked if the younger generation would continue to dominate the sport in 2020, as Van Aert, Van der Pol, and Tadej Pogacar have solidified their reputation as world-class riders.

At 38 and nearing the end of his career, Gilbert knew what it was like to be let down by age, but still provided a timely reminder that experience counts.

"It's always changing a little bit; remember in 2017 only players over 35 won the Big Classic, and last year it was only young players. It's not official that the younger players win, and I think the older players can still win," he argued.

"I am convinced that many of the older riders can still succeed, but of course some of the younger riders are really impressive. We saw a lot of young talent like Pogacar, Marc Hirschi, and Van der Poer. Bernal is also still young. This generation is very impressive

"Van der Poer and Van Art are really impressive. I have never seen this before. I remember Sven Nys trying to do something on the road and not coming close. Absalon, the mountain biker, also tried to do something on the road and didn't come close. It's really impressive.