Wout van Aert misses Strade Bianche, starts season at Tirreno-Adriatico

Wout van Aert has taken to social media to reveal changes in his competitive schedule, as he opts to skips Strade Bianche and will only begin his 2023 campaign at Tirreno-Adriatico.

“I have news to report. I will not be at the start of the Strade Bianche next Saturday," the Belgian said in a message shared by Jumbo-Visma. "I'm going to postpone my debut on the road until Tirreno-Adriatico. Unfortunately, I have been ill for a few days in recent weeks, just when I arrived at El Teide, on Tenerife."

Van Aert's illness had been reported in previous weeks, after he completed his cyclocross season at the Hoogerheide World Championships. Van Aert had reportedly missed some days of training but it was not something urgent.

“Fortunately it's not too bad, after a few days I was already better. But it did interfere with my workouts a bit," he reveals. "After I took a few days of rest after the Cyclocross World Cup, I again lost a few days in the build-up. We actually immediately decided that it would be better to stay on top for longer and hopefully take the last step towards top condition via the Tirreno.”

Although the two races start only two days apart, van Aert's goals for this spring lay further ahead - with the Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix the main focus. This sees him skip Strade, a race he has won in 2020, where Mathieu van der Poel will be making his season debut.

“We think it is not possible to be at my best in the Strade Bianche," the Belgian believes. "I just want to be able to ride to win. That is not in it at the moment. I still need some time, but it is important to adjust the plan from time to time. That's the way it goes. I'm looking forward to the Flemish classics that are coming after that. I look forward to seeing the fans on the sidelines again," he concluded. Tirreno-Adriatico which starts on the 6th of March now becomes his first race of the road season.