‘I definitely have a chance’ - Van Aert sends World Championship warning to Pogacar and Evenepoel after comeback wins
Wout van Aert finished the Tour of Denmark with three stage wins, the overall title and the points jersey. Just as significant was the manner in which he achieved them. After a difficult spell away from racing, the Belgian appeared to be ready to compete for bigger prizes again.
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The Belgian had arrived in Denmark after several weeks without competition, having missed the Tour de France because of an infected elbow suffered in a training crash. The race offered him a chance to test both his fitness and his confidence before the second half of the season.
He found the answers he was looking for.
Van Aert won three of the five stages, with his victory on the queen stage providing the clearest sign of his returning form. He had initially planned to ride for teammate Christophe Laporte, but changed course in the finale and finished the job himself.
The final weekend brought no further victories. A breakaway stayed clear on Saturday, while Van Aert was boxed in during Sunday’s chaotic sprint. Even so, his three wins and two classification jerseys turned an unwanted detour into a convincing comeback.
The Visma | Lease a Bike rider admitted that competing in Denmark had not been part of his preferred schedule.
“It may sound strange, but I would rather not have been here and would have preferred to ride the Tour de France,” he told HLN. “It was not a pleasant period, but you always have to be ready to change your plans. I am really looking forward to everything that is still to come this autumn.”
The next major target is the Vuelta a España, which begins on 22 August with a nine kilometre prologue. Van Aert is aiming for the opening stage victory and the first red jersey, although his elbow injury has limited his preparation on the time trial bike.
“Supporting myself in the time trial position caused a lot of pain,” the 31-year-old said. “But we will work extremely hard on that over the coming weeks. The whole first week looks attractive. We will be going for stage wins because there are opportunities.”
Before travelling to Spain, Van Aert will line up at the Belgian gravel championships in Grobbendonk, only a few kilometres from his home. He sees the race as an enjoyable appearance, but also as a useful final test before the Vuelta.
His focus will then turn to the World Championships in Montréal. Van Aert will not contest the individual time trial, as the Vuelta finishes only two weeks before the event.
“That would be too tight,” he said.
He will instead concentrate fully on the road race, where Belgium is expected to start with both Van Aert and Remco Evenepoel as leaders.
With more than 3,800 metres of climbing, the demanding course appears to favour Evenepoel and defending champion Tadej Pogačar, but Van Aert is refusing to rule himself out.
“Tadej and Remco are different types of riders to me,” he said. “It is a hard course and it will always be right on the limit for me. But I have finished second in Montréal before.
“If I am at my absolute best, I definitely have a chance. I certainly do not consider myself out of contention, and that is why I want to go all in.”
Evenepoel has also made the World Championships his main objective for the second half of the season. His record fourth victory at the Clásica San Sebastián underlined his form before a long altitude training camp and the Canadian races in Québec and Montréal.
Pogačar remains the rider Belgium will have to beat. Van Aert’s comeback in Denmark, however, suggest Evenepoel may not be the country’s only realistic option.
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