Wout van Aert opens unexpected fight for another Vuelta jersey

Van Aert unexpectedly entered the fight for mountain points during stage 11 on Wednesday, accelerating on the only classified climb of the day and taking the maximum three points ahead of Buitrago and Lorenzo Fortunato.

It was only a small addition to his tally, but the ease with which Van Aert collected the points did not go unnoticed.

The Visma | Lease a Bike rider now sits fourth in the mountains classification, 12 points behind leader Buitrago, opening up the possibility that the green jersey holder could become a factor in another competition as the race heads towards more demanding terrain.

Van Aert’s move came on a day when he was already heavily involved in the fight for the green jersey. After helping to deliver Matthew Brennan into position for the final sprint, he continued his own effort to collect more points for the classification.

Van Aert leads Brennan by 57 points in the points standings, giving him a healthy advantage in green, but his acceleration on the climb suggested he is not limiting his ambitions to one jersey.

With maximum mountain points also added to his tally, the Belgian suddenly finds himself within striking distance of the leading riders in another classification.

The 31-year-old was careful not to turn it into a declared objective after the finish.

“I’m in a pretty good position in that classification,” he told Sporza. “And if I can pick up points as easily as I did today, I’m not going to leave them there.”

Asked whether the mountains jersey could now become a genuine goal, Van Aert remained deliberately noncommittal.

“We’ll see.”

Buitrago, however, has already taken the threat seriously.

The Colombian had expected to contest the points on Wednesday’s climb without too much resistance and admitted Van Aert’s move came as a surprise.

“I was a bit surprised to see Wout going for the mountain points,” Buitrago told the media team of La Vuelta. “I thought I’d be able to contest the prize without any trouble. But never mind. That just makes for a more exciting spectacle.”

Rather than dismissing Van Aert as an opportunistic rival, Buitrago believes the Belgian could make the battle for the jersey considerably more complicated.

“We know what a quality rider Wout is and there are still plenty of points up for grabs,” he said. “So we’ve got to be careful, be very smart, know where to make our moves and pick up as many points as possible.”