After illness poleaxed his opening race in the Classics campaign then bad luck marred his 'Plan B' start to the season, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) has admitted that he'll be travelling to Strade Bianche on Saturday with more doubts than he'd like about how he feels the race could play out.
A former winner back in 2020 who also captured a Giro d'Italia stage across those same gravel roads of Tuscany in 2025, Van Aert hasn't raced Strade Bianche since 2021, and times have definitely changed since then.
The event is now dominated by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and Van Aert said in a team press release on Thursday that while Strade had been his top priority for the first part of the year, he was now not so sure what he can achieve.
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Van Aert pointed out in a team press release on Thursday that his teammate Matteo Jorgenson, fourth and second in the Faun-Ardèche and Faun Drôme respectively, is also another option for the team.
Jorgenson last raced Strade Bianche in 2020 when he was a DNF, but since then has developed massively as a one-day racer, winning Belgian Classics as prestigious as the 2024 Dwars door Vlaanderen as well as claiming a top-10 finish in the Tour of Flanders a few years back.
"It’s been a while since I last lined up at the start of Strade Bianche," Van Aert said.
"Together with the team, we decided to skip the race for a few seasons, but this year it’s back on the schedule at my request. The combination of Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico seems like a good preparation for our other goals later in the spring.”
After injuring his ankle in a cyclo-cross race and then falling ill, Strade Bianche's position as the first big goal of the season remained in place, but Van Aert said that he was not so certain now of what he could achieve.
"It was nice to open my season at Le Samyn, but I’ll arrive at the start in Siena with more question marks than I had hoped," says Van Aert.
"In any case, I’m highly motivated to show myself. We’re lining up with a strong team. Matteo has already shown good form in the French spring races. We can definitely aim for a top result."
"Several of our riders starting have a background in cyclo-cross or mountain biking. That’s definitely an advantage on a course like this," added sports director Maarten Wynants in the same press release.
"With Wout, we also have a former winner on the team. Alongside him, Matteo is one of the leaders. We also have riders like Timo Kielich, who is very capable on the unpaved sectors. We’re looking forward to it.”
Visma-Lease a Bike for Strade Bianche 2026
- Filippo Fiorelli (Ita)
- Tijmen Graat (Ned)
- Matteo Jorgenson (USA)
- Timo Kielich (Bel)
- Pietro Mattio (Ita)
- Tim Rex (Bel)
- Wout van Aert (Bel)
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