Cycling news - Wout van Aert aims for World Championships jersey and Tour de France green jersey
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Updated 28/08/2021 at 12:05 GMT
Jumbo-Visma's Belgian rider Wout van Aert has his sights on two major achievements over the course of the next 12 months. First up is this September's UCI Road World Championships in his home country, and then he is aiming to bring home the green jersey for sprinters at next year's Tour de France.
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Wout van Aert is aiming for success in both the UCI Road World Championships in September and also hopes to win the green jersey at next year’s Tour de France.
The Jumbo-Visma riders spoke at length to Wielerflits about his plans, and he also revealed that he wanted to use the upcoming Tour of Britain as a way to prepare for the world championships.
“My form was obviously not completely gone after barely a week of doing nothing,” he said.
For the Tour of Britain, he explained that, “The aim is, therefore, to have good legs again soon. And I haven't ridden too many races in my career where I haven't shown anything. I'm not going to go crazy like I finished the Tirreno at the beginning of this year. I'm going to take it smart and pick a few rides to test myself."
The world championships kick off on September 26, and Van Aert is aiming for another conditioning peak for the event.
“Thanks to the preparation I am doing now, it should be feasible to perform well in both disciplines. I believe I have a chance in both as well,” he said.
“I have certainly not neglected my time trial training, on the contrary. But the intensity with which I now train is mainly with the focus on the road race. Explosiveness is central to this. And that is also necessary if you want to win in Leuven.
“I think that I am the only Belgian – except for Jasper Stuyven – who is used to being a leader everywhere within his team. I've already proven that I can handle that. I follow the idea of the national coach. In fact, I think it's good that there is clarity. It would also put more pressure on me if there were several leaders,” he added.
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The following season he hopes to become the Tour de France green jersey holder, something that he is optimistic about.
“Then the next thing will be the green jersey. I postponed that for two years because there was a higher goal for the team. This year, when Primož Roglič dropped out, I did get that freedom, but I wanted to save myself for and work towards the Games. In retrospect, that was a good choice. But in the future, hopefully next year, that green will become a goal,” he stated.
“You also need a team to take the green jersey in Paris. But it is something that has already been discussed, yes. If you go for such a goal, it also brings a good vibe to the team.
“And I am a rider who can take rides and points without the teammates being bothered by it. We will definitely look into that next year. And we'll see who can help me with that."
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