Belgian prepares for 2024 with Tour of Flanders recon, reduced spring schedule on the cards
Wout van Aert tested out the hills and cobbles of Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders this week(Image credit: Getty Images)
It may only be mid-November but Wout van Aert and Jumbo-Visma are already exploring the routes of the 2024 cobbled Classics, including that of the Tour of Flanders.
The Belgian, who will once again be taking aim at his first cobbled Monument victory next April, was joined by several teammates as he hit the Belgian roads in preparation for next season's spring Classics.
He'll target the Belgian Monument and Paris-Roubaix next spring, but is set to race a reduced schedule in the run-up to the pair, with Het Laatste Nieuws reporting that the Volta ao Algarve, Strade Bianche, and Dwars door Vlaanderen may be his only races before Flanders. The Belgian paper also reports that he's in line for a Vuelta a España debut next season.
Van Aert took on a 7.7km run on Tuesday with teammate Tiesj Benoot, who he nicknamed 'the Gent gazelle' in a post on Strava. Later in the morning, he took on the route of the Dwars door Vlaanderen alongside Edoardo Affini, Tim van Dijke, Mick van Dijke and team directeurs sportifs Maarten Wynants and Grischa Niermann.
The 111km ride, titled 'In Flanders with the Killer Bees', saw the group ride from Gent to Waregem saw them take on several of the challenges of the race – which Van Aert didn't ride in 2023 – including Berg ten Houte, Kanarieberg, Knotkeberg, and Nokereberg.
On Wednesday, Van Aert was joined by the same group again as well as Christophe Laporte, Loe Van Belle, and new teammate Matteo Jorgenson as they rode a recon of the Tour of Flanders.
A winding route between Ronse and Oudenaarde saw the Jumbo-Visma men tackle the hills and cobbles of the Flandrian Monument before heading north up the River Schelde to Gent for a total of 164km in a Strava post titled 'Additional training as the weather is exceptionally good'.
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The five-hour day out saw Van Aert and co tackle 1,775 metres of climbing across the famous climbs of Flanders – Hotondberg, Kortekeer, Wolvenberg, Molenberg, Berendries, Valkenberg, Berg ten Houte, Kanarieberg, Koppenberg, Steenbeekdries, Taaienberg, Kruisberg, as well as two ascents of the Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg duo.
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Wout van Aert's Dwars door Vlaanderen recon ride(Image credit: Strava/Wout van Aert)
Wout van Aert's Tour of Flanders recon ride(Image credit: Strava/Wout van Aert)
Van Aert has wasted no time in getting into full training for the upcoming season after a trip to Colombia which saw him take on Rigoberto Urán's El Giro de Rigo gran fondo. He's set to compete in a reduced cyclocross campaign this winter, taking on eight to 10 races in December and January.
He'll face off against career-long rival, 'cross world champion Mathieu van der Poel, at six events during the winter season, with two more potential meets at the UCI World Cup rounds in Zonhoven and Benidorm still uncertain with his 2024 road campaign set to take priority. He definitely won't be taking part in the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in early February, however.
Next spring, Van Aert is set to prioritise the spring Classics once again, with the Tour of Flanders his main objective before a career debut at the Giro d'Italia in May.
The Het Laatste Nieuws report states that Van Aert will not race Milan-San Remo next spring and could also skip the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem. Instead, he could be set to take on the Volta ao Algarve, Strade Bianche, and Dwars door Vlaanderen in the run-up to Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Later in the year, he'll head to the Paris Olympics (skipping the Tour de France in the process) as he aims to add a gold medal to his road race silver at the 2021 Games in Tokyo.
Het Laatste Nieuws also reported that it's 'increasingly concrete' that Van Aert will make his debut at the Vuelta a España as well as the Giro d'Italia. He's set to use the Spanish Grand Tour as preparation for the UCI Road World Championships in Zürich.
Wout van Aert's potential 2024 road season schedule
February 14-18: Volta ao Algarve
March 2: Strade Bianche
March 27: Dwars door Vlaanderen
March 31: Tour of Flanders
April 7: Paris-Roubaix
May 4-26: Giro d'Italia
July 22, August 3: Paris Olympic Games
August 17-September 8: Vuelta a España
September 22, 29: UCI Road World Championships
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.
Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.
As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix
