Wout van Aert is still searching for his first victory of 2026, with the Belgian coming the closest yet to the win on Thursday’s stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico.
He and his Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Matteo Jorgenson worked in tandem late on the hilly 213km stage, with the American often in control of the select lead group at the head of the race on the road to Martinsicuro.
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He talked through the final kilometre, noting that he used up valuable energy in reacting to Christen. When Van der Poel went, nobody – even his career-long rival Van Aert – could come close.
‘Not the smartest thing to do’
Visma directeur sportif Maarten Wynants revealed that his team had avoided doing the work during the stage by sending Kielich out in the breakaway. That move let other riders, including Jorgenson and Van Aert, save themselves for the final.
That strategy paid off, with Jorgenson able to lead the way up the day’s decisive final climb, the steep ramp of Tortoreto. He also pushed the pace down the other side, allowing the group to stay away from the chasers behind, but Van Aert wasn’t able to finish off the job.
“Wout really wanted to win and reacted directly into the wind. That wasn’t the smartest thing to do,” Wynants said, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.
“Mathieu…
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