Wout Van Aert's decision to present his teammate Christophe Laporte with a victory in Ghent-Wevelgem was collectively praised in Belgium by three of his fellow great cyclists, Eddy Merckx, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen.

LaPorte and Van Aert broke away more than 50 km from the line in a rain-soaked Ghent-Wevelgem, in a repeat of their long-distance joint attack in the 2022 E3 Saxo Bank Classic.

Van Aert, who had won in Harelbeke a year ago by pulling ahead at the end of the race, gave up the lead to Laporte this Sunday in Ghent-Wevelgem.

Van Aert's gifts came after his victory over Mathieu Van Der Pol (Alpecin Desseuninck) and Tadej Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) in the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday, and next Sunday in the Tour of Flanders. It was presented before expecting loyalty from Jumbo Visma.

LaPorte appreciated Van Aert's generosity, but others did not.

Eddy Merckx made it clear to sporza.be (open in new tab) that he did not agree with VanArt's decision.

"It's his [Van Aert's] choice to let his teammates win.

"Wout Van Aert was a dominant force. You saw that in Kemmel. He (Van Aert) made history by winning Harelbeke (E3 Saxo Classic), Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders."

Tom Boonen was similarly unconvinced by Van Aert's decision, telling Sporza, "He will regret it."

"I understand. I have helped my teammates win, but I have never been in a situation like this."

"You help your teammates fight for the win. Again, it seemed to be good for the marketing of the team, but I don't know if I would have done that." Boonen claimed that Ghent-Wevelgem was a bigger prize than the Paris-Nice stage, where Primoš Roglic and Van Aert presented Laporte with a victory last year.

He also argued that a sprint win would be the fairest and that while Laporte would be willing to work for Van Aert in Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, "it is not a guarantee."

Johann Museeuw, along with Bohnen and Merckx, argued that it was not the right choice, saying: "Fifteen years from now, Wout may look back on this moment and be angry with himself."

Wout was not the only one to be angry with himself.

"He may not quite understand what he has given away," Museeuw told VTM News (opens in new tab). 'The victory is gone. I wouldn't have done it, but I couldn't. I don't even think Pogachar would do something like this."

Museeuw said.

Both Merckx and Boonen have won Ghent-Wevelgem three times, the most in their careers, but Museeuw has never won the Belgian Classic. Van Aert has already won Ghent-Wevelgem once, in 2021.

Van Aert justified his decision at the post-race press conference: "The people at home have only seen this race, but Christophe is a good friend. We rode on the road together for a year and attended training camps together.

"For me it is very important to realize that it is impossible to do everything alone. A day like today maybe gives me more joy than just winning myself."

Boonen claimed that Van Aert's success in the E3 Saxo Classic had boosted the Belgian's confidence for next Sunday's Tour of Flanders.

Van Aert struggled with Pogachar's attack on the climb of the E3 Saxo Classic, but ultimately won the three-man battle for the win.

"We saw Van Aert at his best on Friday, but we are not talking about his form, but rather his mental approach," Boonen said.

"He took a big step toward the Flemish Monument. You don't have to be the best." Winning is all that matters."