
Wout Van Aert returned during a podcast in the Belgian media on his participation in the next Tour of Italy, explaining why he would not compete in the general classification contrary to what had been previously stated. A position which seems to be more of a misinformation stunt. Analysis.
While its participation in the Tour of Italy instead of the Tour de France next season is now official, with the aim of best preparing for the time trial event of the Olympic Games which is being held for just one week after the arrival of the Grande Boucle, Wout Van Aert denied the idea that he would come to the Giro to play the general, indicating that he would concentrate primarily on finding the stages.
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He claims not to play the general of the Giro…
On the occasion of the podcast The Red Lantern, Wout Van Aert indeed affirmed in remarks relayed by cyclismactu.net : « I would rather play stages. I don’t set very many limits for myself, but I’m realistic. Doing an overall ranking can’t really be combined with the other things I want. Maybe it can be done if I sacrifice a lot, but I don’t want that. For example, I can finish 5th overall, but if for that I have to lose weight, if I have to spend a lot of time in an altitude course and I get bored, then I don’t think it’s worth it . (…) Now, I do a lot of different things, I find it cool and I get satisfaction from being able to combine several objectives. If I have general ambitions in the Giro, it will not be to win. So it’s not worth the sacrifices. I think a lot of things are possible, but I’m also realistic. For my part, my goals have always been achievable. It’s about winning or winning together. If I go on a race to get a place of honor, it attracts me less ».
Goal, take the pressure off?
Even though we understand and we want to believe Wout Van Aert when he says that he will not sacrifice his preparation for the Flandrian classics for that of the Tour of Italy, we are much more circumspect when he says that he will only play the stages. Van Aert has proven in the past, as at the 2022 Tour de France, that he potentially had a podium or a victory in a Grand Tour in his legs if he approached it with a team at his service and not at the service of a leader , and this without specific preparation. Also, while he has to skip the Tour de France this season due to the Olympics, it seems inconceivable that he does not have in the back of his mind the idea of taking advantage of the opportunity to once attempt his luck on the Giro, whose route will also be a little less mountainous. Clearly, if it appears certain that he will not really do any specific preparation, it appears just as likely that Van Aert will approach the Tour of Italy with the general classification in the lead. But by not saying so, the Belgian champion avoids arriving in Italy under the spotlight, with the inherent pressure…