Sports director Visma | Lease a Bike sees potential for van Aert: "If you're bad, you can't do that"

One would have expected more from Wout van Aert in the Clasica Jaén. The Belgian finished a disappointing 39th, six minutes behind winner Michał Kwiatkowski. The other Killerbees riders also failed to meet expectations. Ben Tulett was the best on the team, finishing ninth. The young British rider performed well, but Visma-Lease a Bike was unsatisfied with a top-ten finish. Sports director Arthur van Dongen was not satisfied with the result.

"We lost control of the race when Michał Kwiatkowski and Brandon McNulty broke away. You know that when there are so few WorldTour teams (5, ed.) at the start, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. Someone should have picked up the slack," Van Dongen told Het Nieuwsblad afterward.

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Van Aert after his turn in the lead for Tulett

"We did not come here for such a result"

On paper, Van Aert was the team leader, but he had already indicated over the radio that he did not have his best legs. The crash before the first gravel strip had also cost him time and energy on the way back. After the race, Van Aert said he quickly realized it would not work out for him. "I was quickly at my limit a few times in the final. Then, I felt that I couldn't compete for the win."

He sacrificed himself for teammate Tulett, who ended up finishing ninth. All in all, it's disappointing. "We certainly expected more. We didn't travel here for such a result," Van Dongen admits honestly.

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Van Aert during his reaction after the Clasica Jaén

No need to panic just yet

The sports director also thinks he knows what went wrong with his Belgian rider. "It was Wout's first race of the season, and he had to compete against guys who already have race experience. That's not so bad if you've just completed altitude training. We've proven that we can perform right away after that. Van Aert had just finished his cyclo-cross season and a training camp in Mallorca. But he has not yet had the chance to acclimatize to the altitude."

The Dutch team leader also believes it is the nature of the race itself. "You mustn't forget that it is a race of 2,600 meters of climbing in a very short period because the first part is relatively flat." An analysis shared by Van Aert.

Yet Van Dongen still sees enough encouraging aspects. "I also saw some good things from Wout. When riding at the front for Tulett, he reduced Kwiatkowski and McNulty's lead from 58 seconds to about twenty. If you're bad, you can't do that.' He also compared the two Wouts. 'It is difficult to compare this Wout with last year's Wout around this time, but I don't think they are that far apart. However, we also know that they could be a few percent better. No need to panic just yet," he concluded optimistically.

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