After nearly a month away from racing, Wout van Aert is about to make his return on Friday on the E3 Saxo Traditional because the Belgian Classics star prepares for one more tilt on the two cobbled Monuments, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Van Aert, who was final in motion successful Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on February 25, has spent a lot of his time within the interim away on Mount Teide at a Visma-Lease A Bike altitude coaching camp.
In keeping with the Belgian’s Strava account, in Tenerife he clocked up greater than 50,000 metres of climbing throughout greater than 75 hours of coaching.
In a single coaching experience alone, Van Aert climbed over 5,000m and spent over seven hours on the bike. Elsewhere in the course of the journey, he equalled a file set by Miguel Ángel López on the ascent of Granadilla.
Now, he is returning to Belgium and getting again to the racing motion at E3 after which Dwars door Vlaanderen (March 27) earlier than the 2 massive ones. He advised Het Laatste Nieuws that he is assured in himself and his staff following his time away at camp.
“I really feel good. The climate was stunning, coaching went effectively, and that provides me confidence,” Van Aert mentioned. “It was good to have the ability to put together in peace. We have discovered from the previous that I at all times return effectively from altitude coaching camps.
“We’re additionally in fine condition with the staff. Jan Tratnik has began the season very effectively and he needs to be even higher now. Tiesj Benoot had a troublesome begin together with his crash on the Volta ao Algarve and the camp got here simply in time for him. He is a tough employee with a superb perspective and he is somebody I prefer to have by my aspect.”
Van Aert’s time away from racing has seen him miss the WorldTour stage races Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Good in addition to two main races he is gained prior to now – Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo.
He would not remorse lacking out on the possibility so as to add extra of these titles to his palmarès, nevertheless, as an alternative saying that he felt relaxed watching them whereas at camp.
“We have had a tightly deliberate schedule that allowed us to race an important races,” he mentioned. “Do I remorse not racing there? No, it was determined for a very long time that I would not participate. I watched San Remo and I discovered it enjoyable.
“Mathieu [van der Poel] seemed very robust. Milan-San Remo could be very far faraway from the Flemish Classics nevertheless it seems to be like he’ll ‘make the appointment’.”
Van Aert, who will face his everlasting rival Van der Poel solely as soon as earlier than Flanders and Roubaix at E3, mentioned he sees the ‘mini-Flanders’ as an extension of his altitude camp, noting that one final race at Dwars will give him the possibility for a last tune-up forward of his first main objective of the 2024 street season on dwelling floor at Flanders.
“I fly on Wednesday and race on Friday so you’ll be able to see E3 as an extension of my altitude camp. Then I’ll take some days of relaxation to get the correct impact from the camp and go to the Tour of Flanders rested,” he mentioned.
“If I had needed to experience Gent-Wevelgem then I might have needed to organise the camp otherwise. Dwars door Vlaanderen is simply the correct place to get in a single final competitors.”
Van Aert, who final celebrated his win at E3 by saying “Ik moet simply niks” [‘I don’t need to do anything’ – Ed.], additionally talked in regards to the outdoors stress placed on him throughout spring Classics season.
He mentioned that it has been a problem prior to now however added that he realised he should not be attempting to race or win to please outsiders or stay as much as the expectations of others, one thing he’ll carry ahead this season.
“I have been feeling much less stress for an entire yr than I had prior to now. I do not deny that stress is a problem to cope with,” he mentioned.
“2023 might have been the primary time that my season was barely worse than the yr earlier than. Till then I had at all times performed higher than anticipated. That gave me an perception that I should not do it for anybody else aside from myself. It offers me a sense of peace.
“I’ve labored actually onerous as a result of I wish to win Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. It offers me the vitality to go for that. I believe I can win them and I’ve proven prior to now that cobbled one-day races are amongst my specialties. It is an enormous objective so as to add them to my palmarès.
“As I’ve mentioned, I’ve additionally made errors prior to now yr. And, other than the criticism I obtain, not a lot has modified. It has taught me that after I win I’ve to get pleasure from myself with the individuals who at all times have my again, that I should not do that to indicate somebody that I can do it or to show somebody incorrect.”
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