Vuelta King Van Aert even wins mountain stages: Is he a favorite for the World Championships? "It's not a course suited to me, but..."

In the Vuelta a España, Wout van Aert is in great form, with three stage wins and six top-three finishes under his belt ten stages into the race. And there are still many opportunities ahead for the amiable Belgian, for whom the Spanish race is more than just preparation for the World Championships in Zurich at the end of September. But if he continues this form, he might secretly be a very serious contender at the World Championships...

"It's not my plan to save energy," Van Aert made his ambitions clear before the start of the Vuelta. "If I'm going to save energy, it will be later in the Vuelta. I'm here for results, and I only have a small chance at the World Championship, so I want to seize my chances in the Vuelta." But anyone who saw Van Aert in stage ten, one with many climbs and therefore mountains, would probably add him to the list for the World Championship in Switzerland. Because on a ten-kilometer climb at an average of six percent, Van Aert's presence was undeniable.

Van Aert and Heijboer are cautious, but do see opportunities

In Zurich, a course with 4,500 meters of climbing awaits, spread across more kilometers than in a Vuelta stage. Many will likely focus on Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar. "With Remco, we have a clear leader on a course like that," Van Aert acknowledged in an interview with Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws after his third stage win. "It's not a course suited to me, really tough, but maybe I can survive on something like that in a one-day race, and then I have a small chance to win myself."

Mathieu Heijboer, performance coach for the killer bees, also believes Van Aert should be ranked a bit higher among the favorites. "Wout can certainly handle a course like that. He's not without a chance, but the race dynamics have to play in his favor," he said in that same Belgian newspaper. "His chances will depend on the tactics of the top countries. Suppose Wout slips into a large breakaway, and they don't react immediately behind him... There's no going around it though, if Pogacar goes to the World Championships in the same top form he's had all season, it will be difficult for any of the riders present to challenge Pogacar..."

"The big difference compared to a few years ago is that the World Championship now takes place three weeks after the Vuelta," Heijboer concluded. "It used to be two weeks or even just one. Then, you could finish the Vuelta and only rest afterward, using the Vuelta as a training stimulus to peak at the World Championship. With those three weeks in between, you can perform just as well at the World Championship through training or other races. The advantage of having the Vuelta in your legs is a bit less significant this year. Because of those three weeks, you have to keep training after the Vuelta and give specific stimuli to truly benefit from doing the Vuelta. Wout is always good after a grand tour, and we hold on to that. The only possible problem could be the long lead-up." To be continued...