Wout van Aert starts Strade Bianche with more question marks than hoped

Visma | Lease a Bike has announced their lineup for Strade Bianche. The Dutch team is counting on Matteo Jorgenson and, of course, Wout van Aert for Saturday. Although the latter will start the gravel classic 'with more question marks than hoped.'

“I’m looking forward to racing again in Italy,” Van Aert tells the Visma | Lease a Bike website. “It’s been a while since I lined up for Strade Bianche. Together with the team, I decided to skip the race for a few seasons, but this year it was put back on the calendar at my request. The combination of Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico seems like a good preparation for the rest of the spring goals.”

‘Waiting to see how I feel’
Van Aert didn’t have a flawless build-up to his Italian racing block. During winter, he suffered an ankle fracture and then missed Omloop Het Nieuwsblad due to illness. His season debut came last Tuesday at Le Samyn, but mechanical issues in the Walloon race prevented him from competing for the win.

“It was nice to open my season at Le Samyn, but I will still start in Siena with more question marks than I had hoped,” Van Aert said. “I had earmarked Strade Bianche as my first real big target of the season, but we’ll have to wait and see how I feel on Saturday.”

“In any case, I’m very motivated to show myself. We start with a strong lineup, as Matteo has already shown his good form in the French spring races. We can definitely aim for a top result.”

Two team leaders
Van Aert has started Strade Bianche four times before. He finished third in both 2018 and 2019, won the 2020 edition held during the pandemic, and posted his 'worst' result in 2021, finishing fourth. He didn’t start the race in the last four editions, but now he’s back. His recent Giro d’Italia, where he won a gravel stage in Siena, will undoubtedly have inspired him to try again.

Van Aert shares the leadership at Visma | Lease a Bike with Jorgenson. The American rider finished fourth last weekend at the Faun-Ardèche Classic and second at the Faun Drôme Classic. Jorgenson has only raced Strade Bianche once before, in 2020. At that time, racing for Movistar, he did not finish.

Wynants: “We can count on a strong lineup”
Strade Bianche is 'one of the most challenging races on the calendar,' according to team leader Maarten Wynants. “Like with other races, meticulous preparation is essential here. Due to the chaos, it’s not easy to make adjustments from the team car, so having a clear plan beforehand is crucial. We can count on a strong lineup.”

The Visma | Lease a Bike selection consists of, besides Van Aert and Jorgenson: Timo Kielich, Tijmen Graat, Pietro Mattio, Filippo Fiorelli, and Tim Rex.

“A few of our starters have a background in cyclocross or mountain biking. That is definitely an advantage on a course like this. With Wout, we also have a former winner on the team, who has already proven he can handle this race well. Alongside him, Matteo is one of the leaders. Furthermore, we have Timo Kielich, another rider who is strong on the unpaved sections. We’re looking forward to it.”