Wout van Aert has descended from Mount Teide, hoping that three weeks of intense altitude coaching will give him a bonus proper from the beginning of his spring Classics marketing campaign on the E3 Saxo Financial institution Basic on Friday, the place he’ll conflict with nemeses Mathieu van der Poel, Filippo Ganna and different Classics contenders.
Van der Poel did his spell at altitude in early March on the Syncrosfera lodge in Spain, polished his kind at Tirreno-Adriatico after which beat Ganna and Tadej Pogačar to win Milan-San Remo. Van Aert has gone for a extra selective and scientific method. He missed Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo within the hope of discovering the next peak of kind for the cobbles, solely returning house to Belgium on Wednesday.
He and Visma-Lease a Bike teammates Wilco Kelderman and Tiesj Benoot clocked over 2,300km in the course of the three weeks of fastidiously calculated coaching blocks, climbing 59,260 metres of elevation in line with Van Aert’s Strava knowledge.
“We had a great and good coaching camp in Tenerife, however after all, as a bicycle owner, what you need most of all is racing. I am actually wanting ahead to pinning on a race quantity as soon as once more,” Van Aert mentioned in a press release issued through Visma-Lease a motorbike, keeping off criticism of his absence from the March races.
“There’s all the time a little bit of a wait-and-see in such a primary race after an altitude camp. You noticed that final 12 months within the E3 Saxo Basic as nicely. However now we have a robust crew, together with Matteo Jorgenson who confirmed nice issues in Paris-Good.”
Van Aert will trip E3 Saxo Basic however not Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem, the place sprinter Olav Kooij is Visma-Lease a Bike’s chief. Van Aert is anticipated to trip Dwars door Vlaanderen subsequent Wednesday earlier than taking over Van der Poel and Pogačar on the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Van Aert and Visma-Lease a Bike have taken a calculated threat by coaching at altitude reasonably than racing however consider within the logic of their plans.
The newest race content material, interviews, options, opinions and professional shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
“For Wout and for us, it’s now a tried and examined recipe,” the crew’s Head of Efficiency Mathieu Heijboer informed Het Laatste Nieuws.
“He labored onerous, however we all know he can deal with that load. An essential situation for this success, and which we as a crew all the time attempt to fulfil, is that every part is completed proper. Vitamin and restoration, for instance, are essential. Therefore the presence of our personal chef.”
Van Aert adopted an analogous plan in 2024 and completed third at E3 Saxo Financial institution. He crashed on the Paterberg as van der Poel attacked after which chased onerous, solely to explode within the ultimate kilometres. Van Aert then crashed out at Dwars door Vlaanderen within the horrible high-speed crash that wrecked his spring marketing campaign.
“That was after we first utilized this method. Sadly, we had been unable to reap the advantages as a consequence of his heavy crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen. The one factor that remained and that Wout is now holding on to was the superb feeling after that coaching camp,” Heijboer recommended.
“We’ll by no means know what it might have yielded in concrete phrases. However he definitely didn’t neglect it. It gave him the required motivation to do it once more.”
“Wout would have preferred to trip Milan-San Remo however we’re satisfied that to get him in the absolute best form for the upcoming Classics and what follows, that is the trail now we have to take. Remember that there’s additionally a Giro arising shortly afterwards – as was additionally the intention in 2024. Then you definitely inevitably need to make selections. Not a lot with pleasure, however purposefully.”
Van Aert began the 2025 season on the Clásica Jaén in Spain after which rode the Volta ao Algarve and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. He was not at his finest after a winter of rehabilitation and gradual coaching following his Vuelta a Espana crash and knee harm however is assured a tough block of coaching may have a constructive impact on his kind.
He gained the E3 Saxo Basic in 2022 and 2023, which is described as a mini Tour of Flanders as a consequence of its hilly race route.
“The E3 Saxo Basic is one in every of my favorite races and I’m proud that I’ve already gained it twice,” van Aert mentioned.
Van Aert and Jorgenson lead the seven-rider Visma-Lease a Bike line-up for E3 Saxo Basic, with help from Benoot, Tosh Van der Sande, Eduardo Affini, Dylan van Baarle and Per Strand Hagenes.
“We aren’t the favourites, however now we have to utilize the a number of choices now we have in our crew. We’ll do every part we will to be within the ultimate with as many riders as doable,” the crew’s Head of Racing Grischa Niermann mentioned.
“The E3 Saxo Basic is an exquisite race over a big a part of the Tour of Flanders course. Typically the race is seen as a sort of gown rehearsal. For us, will probably be attention-grabbing to see how Wout and Tiesj really feel after their altitude camp.”
Van Aert and Visma-Lease a Bike watched van der Poel and Pogačar conflict at Milan-San Remo from Mount Teide. Van Aert is below strain to be as robust and as profitable however sees his rivals’ racing as motivation.
“It primarily fueled his motivation,” Heijboer claimed.
“It is a disgrace that he couldn’t be a part of it however it isn’t the case that he and the crew at the moment are instantly going to assume: ‘Oh, now we have completely no probability anymore’.”
“We acknowledge and respect that Pogačar and Van der Poel have already proven some very good issues. However we aren’t going to make ourselves smaller due to that. Wout himself can also be simply fantastic. We simply have to attend and see how he’ll really feel in that first race.”
“Wout shouldn’t be the highest favorite for the victory. If Friday doesn’t result in what it needs to be, we won’t lose any sleep over it as a result of we’re following a long-term plan. During which we work in direction of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix after which the Giro d’Italia.”
