Is Wout van Aert competing for the win in Strade Bianche? "I’d be surprised"

Wout van Aert will be one of the highlights at Strade Bianche on Saturday, but how is his form really? Can the Belgian already challenge top favorite Tadej Pogacar in the Italian classic? His good friend Jan Bakelants doesn’t set the expectations too high.

In the latest episode of the cycling podcast Wielerclub Wattage, the upcoming major event on the cycling calendar is naturally discussed, along with Wout van Aert’s chances of victory. The rider from Visma | Lease a Bike was already the strongest in the Italian classic in 2020 and stood on the podium twice more, but this time he has had a far from flawless build-up due to illness.

The surprise factor
“We shouldn’t expect too much from Wout; then it can only be a positive surprise,” Bakelants believes. “Strade Bianche suits him well as a terrain. But for Wout, it will have to be more about the surprise element.”

“Wout has really been sick (which forced him to skip Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, ed.) and has fallen behind due to his ankle fracture. That definitely doesn’t have to be a disadvantage for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. In Tirreno-Adriatico, he’ll still be able to sharpen his condition a bit. Fighting for the win? That would surprise me,” Bakelants concludes.

Grischa Niermann, Head of Racing at Visma | Lease a Bike, already shared his thoughts on Strade Bianche after Van Aert’s season debut at Le Samyn. “A good altitude training camp doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly drop Tadej Pogacar,” he said to Het Nieuwsblad. “It only means your form is good. We’ll have to see what Wout can do at Strade on Saturday, but the real peak is naturally later.”