Van Aert comes back from Teide with loooong measures: 'Scary, but it can only be better'

Wout van Aert skipped such races as Strade Bianche, Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Sanremo in recent weeks in favor of an altitude training camp in Tenerife. The Belgian did, however, watch plenty of racing on the Teide, he told IDLProcycling among others at a press event on Tuesday. On Friday, he will resume competing in the E3 Saxo Classic the competition.

The Belgian announced after his victory in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne that he would be looking forward to races such as Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo, races he has already managed to put on his well-filled palmares, with a slightly conflicted feeling. 'While I was on altitude training, I was able to watch almost every race. We had a tightly worked out schedule, which allowed us to make time for the most important races.'

'I don't regret not being there,' he reiterates. 'You regret it when you fall ill or have to change something about your plans, but now I had already decided well in advance not to be there at the start. So then I'm not concerned about it anymore, but you just watch what's going on in those races. And that was kind of exciting.

So Van Aert also saw the clash between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar on the Poggio. 'We have only seen Mathieu at work in Milan-Sanremo. That looked strong, he was definitely among the strongest riders in the race. Milan-Sanremo is a race a bit further away from the Flemish classics in terms of course conditions. But it looks like he will be on the rendezvous, as expected. In the E3 Saxo Classic it will be immediately clear what the value ratios are,' said the Belgian, who will in any case also meet Van der Poel in De Ronde and Roubaix. It is not yet certain whether Van Aert will also ride the Amstel Gold Race.

Pogacar also impressed Van Aert, who just before the press moment also saw the Slovenian win - as far as you could see on TV - in the Tour of Catalonia. 'That he is not there in the Flemish races will be an advantage for the whole peloton. He looks strong.'

Christophe Laporte had a down day at La Primavera. The Frenchman fell ill and will also not be seen in the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday. Visma | Lease a Bike is trying to get him fit in time for the upcoming classics, but his absence will be a loss Friday anyway. Van Aert agrees. 'He is the European champion and someone everyone can see is one of the star riders. We will definitely miss him on Friday. Saturday we could also see that something was going on, so let's hope that a few days of rest can do him good and that missing the E3 Saxo Classic can help with that.'

Other teammates did show to be OK: Matteo Jorgenson (overall win) and Olav Kooij (stage wins) held house in Paris-Nice, while Jonas Vingegaard won Tirreno-Adriatico. Jorgenson will also be there for the upcoming classics. 'I have nothing but praise for him. He was already very strong in the Opening Weekend, but Paris-Nice was even better than I thought. He more than deservedly won that race, as I watched it. That was very nice to see.

Kooij will not be there in the classics, but will be in the Giro. 'Olav has developed super well in recent years and now he has improved again. In Sanremo we didn't notice that, but he was nicely in the group behind. I especially liked how he positioned himself and survived the Cipressa. For me he is a very strong sprinter with a lot of content and a quiet guy, who I really like racing with.'

Van Aert himself was on the Teide with three other teammates who will also be there starting Friday in the classic block: Jan Tratnik, Tiesj Benoot and Per Strand Hagenes. 'We are all in good shape. Jan had already started the season super and it's frightening, but he can only be better. Tiesj had a more difficult start with his fall in the Algarve, but he also showed to be ready. He's a hard worker with the right attitude, so I always like to have him there. For Per, it was a nice discovery to go on altitude with. He resisted well and he will be ready. With a few staff members around, it was a lot of fun to be on the road.'