What a difference a day has made for Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) at the Giro d’Italia. After taking an emotional win on the gravel stage on Sunday, he is now looking to double his win tally in the time trial from Lucca to Pisa on Tuesday.
But even with the comeback triumph, after a long streak of losses, Van Aert is still keeping cautious about his volatile form, aware that things can turn sour again just as quickly as they came good in Siena.
Speaking in a press conference on the second rest day, Van Aert revealed how dire his struggles had been after narrowly missing victory on stage 1 in Tirana and then feeling the effects of his pre-race infection throughout the rest of the Albanian Grand Partenza. His magic day in Tuscany almost didn’t happen.
“Mentally, I feel very different. A week ago, I wondered whether continuing the Giro was a good idea,” said Van Aert on Monday.
“We certainly talked about that. After the first rest day, I got the feeling and signals that I could make it. But stage 4 was really disappointing. I was tired and had bad legs, while it was an easy stage.
“It had to turn around on the stage to Matera. That also happened: stage five was ‘normal’ suffering. It didn’t ‘all’ hurt anymore. It was the first time that I reached the finish with a good feeling.”
Van Aert was still coy about confirming any full return to his previous peak, but instead acknowledged how everyone else could simply be suffering more after a week of arduous Grand Tour racing.
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“Growing in a Grand Tour is a nice saying, but it is difficult to put your finger on whether that is really true or whether you break down less quickly than others,” he said.
“I think I am getting better, but I do not feel so good that I suddenly have my best legs again.”
The 28.6km race against the clock approaching should be another sign of how he’s recovered, with his superhuman efforts to not get dropped by Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) on Sunday certainly pulling a lot out of him.
With the second rest day coming at the right time, Van Aert will be hoping it isn’t a repeat of the stage 2 time trial in Tirana, where he said that going too deep on the first stage meant he was well away from the level he’d hoped for in the ITT.
“Tomorrow is already the next opportunity to get a nice result, try to go for the stage win as well, maybe,” said Van Aert.
“We’ll see how I’m recovered, even though everybody has a rest day today, there’s no need to explain yesterday that I went really deep to get this win. In a grand tour, TT in the second part is usually about freshness and a bit less on the TT qualities.”
The route heads south out of the walled city, Lucca, and is mainly flat except for a ride midway through the effort. Van Aert described it as a day for the purists in the discipline, noting the stage 2 winner Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) as the front runner for victory.
“In Albania, the time trial didn’t go as I wanted, but I think I know why. Tuesday is really one for specialists, very straightforward. Only the start in Lucca is technical.
“I’m not starting with doubts, but Tarling is the favourite, because this course suits him even better. It will be difficult to beat him.”
Van Aert can draw confidence, of course, from his win, but also, according to Visma, from his new Prologo saddle, which the team revealed during the press conference.
The pressure should also be off, having claimed his maiden Giro win – which was the key goal he set. That could be the key recipe to Van Aert winning once again at a Grand Tour, reminding everyone just what a phenomenon he is.
“It’s always nice to win just before, because it gives u a bit more time to sink in and enjoy. That’s definitely what we did,” he said.
“I’ll keep my feet on the ground, but I can look forward to the rest of the Giro with a very good feeling.”
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