Benoot gives update on Wout van Aert: "Mentally strong, but he too has lesser moments"

The 30-year-old Belgian left Van Aert alone for a while after his crash but recently spoke extensively with Wout on the phone. "I called him quite long last week, yes. I deliberately left him alone the first few days because I know he has much to deal with," Benoot explained.

"It was nice to hear him briefly," continued the former Strade Bianche winner, who also pointed out how difficult it was for Van Aert. "I think everyone knows Wout as mentally strong, but he also has lesser moments. Of course, he feels a huge disappointment. After his fall in Dwars Door Vlaanderen, he only felt in the Vuelta that he was back at the top level, close to the best version he could be."

Dropping out injured again after reaching that top level is very difficult, according to Benoot, who can also take something positive from it. "To relapse then is extra sour. On the other hand, he must reach his top level again. He knows he was the old Wout van Aert again."

Van Aert was not the only one who suffered bad luck at Visma | Lease a Bike this year. Benoot also had to deal with misery. "I had COVID at the beginning of January, broke my sacrum in the Algarve, and in the E3, I broke two ribs and had several open wounds... This was not a lucky year for me, absolutely not."

"I came out of it much better than some of my teammates, that's true,'" the man from Ghent continued. "And given the circumstances, I did perform well, I think. But I think I could have raced my best spring ever, thanks to that late altitude training." Benoot finished on the podium in the Amstel Gold Race this spring, a fourth place in Dwars Door Vlaanderen, and a top-ten finish in the Flèche Wallonne, among others.

Still, the Dutch formation is running a lot worse than in previous years, although there is a nuance to that, according to Benoot. "That is a huge difference, of course. But to be perfectly honest, I don't think it's all misery now, either. Despite all the bad luck, I think we are still in the top three regarding the number of wins this season." Therefore, according to the cheerful Belgian, there is no reason to panic. "In my opinion, we are still a top team. I have cycled in other teams; for example, my second year with DSM was awful. Haha! There, we won almost nothing," Benoot concluded, laughing.