Wout van Aert sees a good chance in Tirreno: "This is a stage that should suit me"

After a day for the sprinters, today it's time again for the puncheurs in Tirreno-Adriatico. In short, it’s a perfect opportunity for Wout van Aert to go for a stage win. The Belgian is certainly motivated to make something of it.

"I recovered well from yesterday’s stage. It was an incredibly long day, but not too difficult. Luckily, it wasn’t super cold. Yes, I survived the stage just fine," reflected the Visma | Lease a Bike rider this morning at the start of the tricky stage to Martinsicuro, looking back on yesterday with Sporza.

Van Aert decided not to get involved in the sprint chaos on Wednesday, but today he wants to stand out again. "I already looked at this stage earlier in the week and this is a stage that should suit me. The finale is tough with several short climbs. For some sprinters, that might be too hard, and then we get to terrain that suits me well."

Watch out
Does Van Aert consider joining a strong breakaway earlier in the stage? "That’s not my plan, but I will have to keep my eyes open. This is the first stage where the breakaway isn’t just going to ride away easily."

The fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico passes through the Apennines, where climbing will start early with the Ovindoli and Valico delle Capanne cols. The course totals 2500 meters of elevation gain. In the finale, the climb to Tortoreto (1.5 km at 8.4%) offers a prime springboard for the hill specialists. Following this climb, there is a flat final stretch of twelve kilometers towards Martinsicuro.