Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) will skip the European and World Championships, and end his season with the Deutschland Tour and four one-day races, his team have confirmed.
Van Aert, who has already ridden two Grand Tours this season in the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, was a question mark for the World Championships in Rwanda, but is now confirmed as not going, opting to end his season at the Super 8 Classic in Belgium on September 20.
Before that, he will race the Deutschland Tour (August 20-24), the Bretagne Classic (August 31) and the double-header of Canadian one-day races, the GP de Québec and GP de Montréal (September 12 and 14).
While riders like Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will use those races as a tune-up for Worlds, Van Aert will then head home to end his season at the Super 8 Classic.
“It’s important to still set some important goals for the last part of the season, and with this calendar, we’ve certainly succeeded,” Van Aert said, explaining his programme choice for the end of the year.
“At the same time, after such a packed season, it’s crucial not to overdo it. That’s why we’ve decided to end my season after the Super 8 Classic and skip both the World Championships and European Championships.”
“It’s been a great year, with major goals coming in quick succession,” he said. “As in most years, the Spring Classics and the Tour de France were my main objectives. I’m also happy that I finally got to experience the Giro d’Italia. That variety – the same reason I rode the Vuelta a España for the first time last year – is something I need and find very motivating.”
His successes have earned him fourth in the UCI rankings at present, and he could have been a contender for more success in the road races or time trials at Worlds and Europeans, but has opted to close out his season earlier, after starting in February at the Clásica Jaén.
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