At 29 years old, the Belgian Wout Van Aert has decided to leave his comfort zone and this year is the first time he will not compete in Tour de France. The Belgian rider wants to perform well in the spring classics and in the time trial of Olympic Games in Paris and for this reason, and in a campaign with so many races and such a compressed calendar, Van Aert has decided to change his career program and try his luck at Italy is spinningwhere you will be surrounded by a powerful team.
The goal is clear: try to win a stage, although in a super class like him, you shouldn’t set limits.
“I want to do things I’ve never done before. I’ve never ridden in the Giro, so it’s fun to be at the beginning. I think it’s the right time to choose something new. Since my goal is to do well in the spring classics, it requires careful planning. It’s a matter of choices and sacrifices,” Van Aert said in a statement posted on his team’s website, Visma-Rent a Bike.
He Belgian time trial champion is aware of its main purpose in ‘Corsa Rosa’. “A stage win in Italy. I hope to win several stages. It is a very demanding route. I have already recognized some exciting stages. I will choose my days and see how it goes,” he added. He does not hide that he will be surrounded by colleagues who will do everything for him to achieve his goals. “We will also start in Italy with a strong team. This makes the challenge more attractive. In Olav Kooij I hope we can be strong on the flat stages. We also have some strong and talented climbers in the provisional selection for the Giro”, referring to his new teammate and compatriot. Cian Uijtdebroeks.
And during this period the cHerentals cyclist I hope to “do well in the Olympic time trial in Paris. It will be held after the Tour. That was one of the many factors in my decision to have a different program in 2024. It will probably be necessary to make some adjustments before the Giro, but I am confident of route and I hope to catch the stage wins.
Then, later, there will be time to think about Lap and in National championship.
So far, in his five appearances at Tour de Franceexcept for this year, where he abandoned the 18th stage due to the birth of his son, he has always achieved at least one stage of success: one in 2019, two in 2020, 3 in 2021 and three in 2022, as in addition to obtaining classification points and classification combatability.
Van Aert will begin his road season on February 11 at Classic of Almería.
Source: La Verdad
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