Wout van Aert to skip Strade Bianche, start season at Tirreno-Adriatico
The Belgian missed several days of training after falling ill last week.
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Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) will skip Strade Bianche this weekend and instead start his season at Strade Bianche.
The Belgian decided to delay the start to his 2023 road campaign after losing a few days of training to illness last week.
Van Aert is currently training at altitude at Mount Teide and will stay there for a few extra days to get his form up before he starts racing again. He hadn’t raced since finishing second to Mathieu van der Poel at the cyclocross world championships at the start of February.
“I won’t be at the start of this year’s Strade Bianche. I will start my road season in Tirreno-Adriatico. Unfortunately, I was not feeling very well for several days last week during the start of my training camp. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad, and I felt better shortly after. However, it affected my training,” Van Aert said in a video posted on social media by Jumbo-Visma.
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“After taking a break following the cyclocross world championships, I again lost a few training days in preparation for the season. We decided it’s better to stay at altitude longer so I can reach my best shape possible for Tirreno-Adriatico.
“We think it’s not possible to perform at my best in Strade Bianche. I want to race to win, but that isn’t possible right now. I need a bit more time, but sometimes changing plans is necessary. That’s how things are. For the upcoming Flemish spring classics, I am in good spirits and I’m looking forward to seeing my fans by the roadside again soon.”
The team hasn’t confirmed who will replace him in the line-up. Jumbo-Visma enjoyed a dominant weekend of racing with Dylan van Baarle winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Tiesj Benoot claiming victory at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. Benoot is a former Strade Bianche champion.