'The biggest points are still to come' - Van Aert reveals when he could fully commit to Vuelta mountains jersey

A day after unexpectedly putting himself in contention for another classification jersey, Van Aert continued to collect mountain points during Thursday’s demanding stage to Calar Alto.

The Belgian took maximum points on each of the first three classified climbs. He first led the peloton over the Alto del Cabecico before later joining a large breakaway that also included mountains leader Santiago Buitrago. Van Aert then beat the Colombian to the summit of both the Alto de Cóbdar and Collado García.

He also took maximum points at the intermediate sprint before dropping back later in the stage, having achieved exactly what he had set out to do.

Van Aert remains second in the mountains classification, but the gap to Buitrago actually grew from 10 to 22 points over the course of the stage. After losing out to the Belgian on the first three climbs, the Colombian responded later in the day by collecting the bigger points available in the finale.

More importantly, Van Aert is no longer dismissing the possibility that the jersey could become a serious objective later in the race.

“I mainly don't want to leave points behind at the moment, so that I can keep the option open towards the final week,” Van Aert told Het Nieuwsblad after the stage.

“The biggest points are still to come. Maybe in the final stages I will really go for it. We will see how realistic it is by then.”

For now, Van Aert is trying to balance two very different objectives.

His position in the points classification is already extremely strong. He leads Visma teammate Matthew Brennan by 77 points and is closing in on the green jersey that slipped from his grasp in dramatic circumstances two years ago.

That gives Van Aert some freedom to look beyond the points classification, but not yet at the expense of stage wins.

The Belgian made that clear after the stage. Although the biggest haul of mountain points came later on the road to Calar Alto, he chose not to contest them and instead conserved energy for opportunities still to come.

“Today most of the points were in the finale,” Van Aert said. “I didn't get involved there because I still have other goals in mind.”

Those other goals are primarily stage victories.

Visma sports director Maarten Wynants pointed to stages 13 and 15 as particularly attractive opportunities for Van Aert, telling HLN that both could suit the Belgian’s characteristics.

That explains why Van Aert is not yet treating the mountains jersey as an all consuming target. Chasing every available point would require repeated breakaway efforts and could compromise his chances of winning a stage.

Buitrago, however, is already taking the threat seriously. The Bahrain Victorious rider revealed to HLN that he had even asked Van Aert after Wednesday’s stage not to attack the following day.

“It is true that I asked Wout on Wednesday not to attack,” Buitrago said. “For me, Wout is the biggest rival. I am happy that I managed to increase my advantage a little.”

Visma do not necessarily see the contest in the same way.

Wynants pointed instead to race leader Enric Mas as a potentially bigger threat in the mountains classification. With major points available on summit finishes, the Spaniard could rise through the standings simply by continuing to fight for the general classification.

“I see Mas as the biggest rival,” Wynants said. “He will still pick up double points on a few summit finishes, while there are not many points available along the way.”

For Van Aert, that is another reason not to go all in just yet. He can keep picking up points where possible and see where he stands once the Vuelta reaches its decisive stages.

There is also some unfinished business attached to the mountains jersey.

When Van Aert crashed out of the 2024 Vuelta on the stage to Lagos de Covadonga, he was leading both the points and mountains classifications. Two years later, he is close to securing the green jersey again and remains in contention for the mountains classification.

Winning both would be a rare achievement. The late José María Jiménez was the last rider to finish the Vuelta as winner of both classifications, doing so in 2001.

If Van Aert remains within reach in the final week, the mountains jersey may yet turn from an option into a real target.