🎥 Van Aert gears up for the Classics – Belgian shares stunning helicopter footage and wraps up training in Tenerife

The next few weeks will be exciting for Wout van Aert. The Belgian, who spent the past three weeks training in Tenerife in preparation for the spring classics, will return in the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday. He will then ride Dwars door Vlaanderen and then on other Flemish Classics, hoping to fulfill his lifelong dream of winning the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. As he prepares for one of the most important periods of the year, he also takes time to relax, as can be seen in a video on Instagram.

Last week, a video appeared of Van Aert at the controls of a helicopter. He enjoyed the experience, although he found it quite exciting. "It is about millimeters to maintain balance. Super intense, but at the same time a lot of fun," the Visma | Lease a Bike rider said about his first time as a helicopter pilot.

Nevertheless, the first moments were quite exciting, as seen in the video. "I don't know if I dare to do that," the Belgian admitted. "It's all still a case of trial and error for me, so you have to make sure you can intervene, too." In the end, everything went well, as the rest of the video shows.

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Van Aert again shares stunning images from Tenerife

Van Aert also shared an update on his personal Instagram page. Under the title 'Week 12', the Belgian all-rounder posted more beautiful images of sunny Tenerife. The photos show how he is training hard for the important classics, where he will face Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar for the first time this road cycling season.

But for the Belgian, who hopes to finally realize his big dream this year, there was also time for relaxation between training sessions. And what better way to do that than with a tasty, typically Spanish meal? He enjoyed a chocolate cake as a snack, and Spanish smoked ham was also on the menu.

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Is Jorgenson the most important teammate for Van Aert?

Van Aert will conclude his training camp this week with Tiesj Benoot, after which he will put on his bib number again on Friday. Another important name at the start of the E3 Saxo Classic is Matteo Jorgenson. The American seems to be in top form after his impressive victory in Paris-Nice and could just be a dangerous outsider for the classics – or a super-domestique for Van Aert.

Jorgenson is now back to training, as his Strava updates show. After a few days of rest, he returned on his bike on Monday for a serious training ride: in just over 100 kilometers, he covered more than 2100 meters of altitude. Later that evening, he also added an hour of strength training. Will he be the man to watch this spring?

Read also

Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel both start week of E3 battle on gravel

Preview of E3 Saxo Classic 2025 | Van der Poel, Pogacar, Van Aert and one man who made this race his main goal

Lance Armstrong watched in amazement at Mathieu van der Poel: "Did you see his face at that moment?"

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