Vuelta director praises Wout van Aert: "I hope he wants to return in the future"

The 2024 edition of the Vuelta a España ended last Sunday in Madrid, and tradition has it that race director Javier Guillén reflected on his round in AS. This year, too, all the storylines from the round resurfaced in the Q&A between the leading man of the Spanish round and the sports newspaper.

"What is your assessment?" was the first question to Guillén. "Very positive, especially because our wish for an open and competitive race finally came true. That's what we were looking for, and in the end, Ben O'Connor was the key to a successful Vuelta with a lot of competition. Primoz Roglic, Richard Carapaz, Enric Mas and Mikel Landa were all very present."

Wout van Aert, who sadly eventually had to leave the Vuela, also gets compliments. "I can only praise him. He is one of the best riders in the world and was the biggest crowd-pleaser of the race until he unfortunately fell. I hope he wants to return in the future. From a sports standpoint, the Covadonga stage was wonderful, with Marc Soler's victory and the battle between those in the GC, but the feeling that day was dire because Van Aert had dropped out. It was sad on a personal and professional level," Guillén stated.

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Guillén: "Red is the color that suits Roglic best"

And then, of course, there was the winner, Primoz Roglic. "He is the most successful rider and has secured his place in the race's history books. Talking about the Vuelta without naming Roglic is impossible, which is a right he earned himself."

Guillén, therefore, advises Roglic to go for his fifth. "Right now, we are in the era of records. Just as some riders have won five Tours, why don't we get the first rider to win his fifth Vuelta? I encourage him to come. On Sunday, I congratulated him and told him that red is the color that suits him best," Guillén said.