While Van Aert does late cyclo-cross training, Roglic follows his lead by seeking the sun in Tenerife

At the start of the year, Wout van Aert decided to skip part of the spring classics, including Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, to focus on his first big goals in April. This led him to a high-altitude training camp in Tenerife, accompanied by Tiesj Benoot and Wilco Kelderman. But they might also run into Primoz Roglic on the Spanish island, as he has also been preparing there.

Earlier, Van Aert shared data from a monster ride in Tenerife, where he has been racking up serious mileage—200 kilometers and 5,000 meters of elevation gain. "Catching up on lost Worlds training," he called it. But under the Spanish sun, there were moments that took him back to his roots. At times, Van Aert, Kelderman, and Benoot were forced to dismount and, like seasoned cyclocross riders, run to the next passable section of road.

Read more below the photos!

Tuesday brought yet another grueling session for the trio, as they faced their 13th day of training camp. On the schedule was a 178-kilometer ride with a staggering 4,400 meters of elevation gain. Van Aert even claimed four Strava KOMs along the way, proving that it was anything but an easy ride. A perfect spring preparation—that’s the goal. On March 28, the 30-year-old Belgian from Herentals will line up for the E3 Saxo Classic.

Read more below the Strava data!

But Visma | Lease a Bike wasn’t the only team putting in the miles in Tenerife. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was also logging serious training hours. Led by Primoz Roglic—who, according to sources, is set to extend his contract—the German team also made a training trip to the Spanish island, as shared by Roglic on Instagram. For the 35-year-old Slovenian, this marks the first real step in his preparation for the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. But before that, he will start his season at the Volta a Catalunya. On March 24, he will make his return to the race he won in 2023 after an epic battle with Remco Evenepoel.

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

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