After the difficult climb up Alto da Foia in the Volta ao Algarve, Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert was satisfied with his performance. Although he struggled to the end and finished in 16th place, Van Aert believes the race is excellent preparation for the rest of the season.
Speaking to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws after the race, he stated: “I felt good for much of the final climb and I believed until the last two kilometers. But when the pace quickened once again, I couldn’t keep up anymore.”
Van Aert highlighted the importance of the challenges of the Volta ao Algarve for his training, highlighting that “it is these events that will make me improve”.
Praised performance
Visma-Lease a Bike team director Marc Reef also expressed his satisfaction with the rider’s performance. “If you see how much Wout was able to resist on this course, and who was still in contention, we can’t help but be pleased,” he said.
Communication failure
Just before Alto da Foia there was an important moment. Van Aert had indicated before the stage that he would not go for the general classification, but still took an extra four seconds in an intermediate sprint. “I thought Jan (Tratnik) was in my circle. He aims for a good classification,” Van Aert explained to Sporza.
“There was a miscommunication. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t give those seconds for free to someone else. It wasn’t a goal for me. It was a missed arrow.”
Van Aert, who is currently ranked 14th overall, stated that he is not focused on the competition, but rather on the training benefits that the competition offers. “I definitely want to do a good Time Trial and the last stage is also tough. I’m looking forward to these two moments,” he concluded.
