Van Aert arrives at the Vuelta with a plan: "We have two great opportunities to take the red jersey"

Wout van Aert returns to the Vuelta a España two years after a 2024 edition that ended in the worst possible way for him. The Belgian is back especially motivated after missing the Tour de France and faces the first days with a very specific goal: to win stages and, if the opportunity arises, to wear the red jersey again.

"I am extremely motivated. I missed the Tour, but I also just love this race. It has been a long and very different summer for me, so I am happy that the Vuelta is finally starting," Van Aert explained before the start.

Van Aert sees an opportunity to wear red in Monaco

The Vuelta begins this Saturday with a 9.4-kilometer individual time trial in Monaco and Van Aert has specifically prepared for this first stage. The Belgian acknowledges that in recent weeks he has been working again on the time trial bike after his elbow injury affected his preparation.

"I trained a bit more on the time trial bike before this opening time trial in Monaco, because there is a lot to gain. Not only the time trial itself, but it is also an opportunity to be close in the general classification and go for the red jersey the next day."

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His margin to achieve this will be slim. The mountains will appear very soon in this Vuelta, so Van Aert points to the first two days as his best chances.

"It is definitely on my mind. I don't have much time to get the leader's jersey. However, with the time trial and the second stage, there are two great opportunities for me. I hope to be close; it would be a dream to wear it again."

Van Aert already knows what it means to lead the Vuelta. In 2024 he achieved three stage victories and wore the red jersey, in addition to leading the points and mountains classifications, before a crash in stage 16 prematurely ended his race.

But before thinking about the leadership, he will have to overcome a time trial that he is not entirely convinced about. After recognizing the course alongside his teammate Steven Kruijswijk, Van Aert believes that the organizers have taken the technical difficulty of some sections too far.

"To be honest, I think it is too technical. In the final part, in my opinion, they have gone a bit beyond the limit of what can be done with a time trial bike."

That does not prevent the Belgian from highlighting the chosen setting to start the race: "Overall, it is an incredible place here in Monaco, with all the buildings and the coast. It will be very special to compete among them."

Visma arrives for stages and Van Aert will have freedom

The approach of Visma Lease a Bike will be different from usual. Without a defined leader to fight for the general classification, the team arrives with Van Aert, Matthew Brennan, and Sepp Kuss among its main names, prioritizing stage victories.

"It is clear that we are here more for stage victories than with a strict goal for the general classification. I am a versatile cyclist and this route offers me many opportunities."

One of the questions will be how to share those opportunities with Matthew Brennan, who is debuting in a Grand Tour. Van Aert has a clear idea of a possible distribution of roles.

"It could be that he does the flatter sprints and I do the harder stages. It is Matthew's first Grand Tour and he has shown how fast he is. I prefer to launch him into the sprint than to try to beat him. The race will decide, but there will be opportunities for both."

And among the rivals that will complicate his options is inevitably Tadej Pogačar, especially in those broken stages that traditionally fit very well with Van Aert's characteristics.

"I was very disappointed when I found out that Tadej was going to race the Vuelta," the Belgian joked before acknowledging the difficulty posed by his presence. "Even in the intermediate stages that suit me well, Pogačar is one of the biggest rivals."

Still, Van Aert prefers to interpret his presence as just another ingredient for an open race. After a summer marked by his absence in the Tour, the Belgian arrives at the Vuelta with the freedom to seek opportunities from the first kilometer. And the first one appears immediately in the streets of Monaco.