While his buddies suffer in the horror weather of Paris-Nice and Tirreno, Van Aert completes monster training in Tenerife

The weather in Tirreno-Adriatico and especially Paris-Nice has been brutal in recent days. Riders have had to start each stage bundled up against the cold and rain, with strong winds making conditions even worse. Days like these make professional cycling far from enjoyable. But while his teammates and fellow riders endure this suffering, Wout van Aert is enjoying the sunshine on Tenerife, where he is preparing for the spring classics.

Oliver Naesen will start Saturday’s seventh stage of the Race to the Sun. Or rather, what was supposed to be a sunny race—the queen stage has been shortened due to the extreme weather. Wednesday’s stage was already a nightmare, and Naesen was highly critical of how the organizers handled the situation. To add insult to injury, Wout van Aert provided an unwelcome reminder of the contrast. "After Wednesday’s stage in Paris-Nice, Sander De Pestel and I looked at Wout van Aert and Tiesj Benoot’s Instagram stories. ‘Wow, things look a lot better on Tenerife,’" Naesen laughed in an interview with HLN.

With the current weather conditions in mind, many riders would probably prefer to skip a stage race like Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, where the weather has also been miserable. But for most, that's not an option. “That’s a luxury that Yves (Lampaert), Sander, myself, and the other guys racing in France and Italy simply don’t have,” the 34-year-old Belgian said, sounding resigned to his fate. “There are only about 500 WorldTour riders, and at least 300 of them have to race Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico at this time of year. Whether you want to or not in preparation for the classics, it’s just part of the job.”

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The fourth stage of Paris-Nice was halted due to extreme weather.

Van Aert puts in a brutal training session under the sun

While Naesen and company are forced to suffer in miserable conditions, some riders are lucky enough to stay dry during their training rides. Wout van Aert is one of those fortunate ones, as he is currently completing a training block on Tenerife in preparation for the Spring Classics. Under a beautiful spring sun, he certainly has no complaints. No early-season stage races in March for him—but he’s not lacking in mileage. His Strava data says it all: on Friday, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider logged an absolute monster ride—207 kilometers, 7 hours and 30 minutes in the saddle, and a staggering 5,000+ meters of elevation gain on the climb to Portillo Alto. Along the way, he even had to channel his inner cyclocrosser for a short detour onto a goat path.

Choosing to skip the WorldTour races in March wasn’t a decision taken lightly. “Making choices always means giving something up, but if he wins the Tour of Flanders...” mused team director Maarten Wynants earlier this week. “You never know in advance what the best choice is, but we felt that last year he was truly at his peak—until he crashed in Dwars door Vlaanderen. That lingering feeling is why we’re going with this approach again.”

Van Aert’s first race of the season will be the E3 Saxo Classic on March 28.

Read also

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