“Wout van Aert did a one hour career best performance
actually,” Heijboer revealed. “He never rode faster for one hour than on the
Finestre. He did all of that to make it over the top so he could support Simon
in the last 15 kilometres and I think that says it all.”
Van Aert had been part of the day’s breakaway, and after
cresting the summit of the Finestre, waited for Yates before towing him through
the valley roads to Sestriere. It was a selfless, tactically brilliant move,
one that showed the team's unity once again, after a difficult spring.
“That togetherness and shared commitment, shared goal, is
something we create in the preparation for the race and that has really paid
off for us, especially in the last stage,” Heijboer added.
Van Aert’s ride was even compared favourably to his landmark
performances at the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, where he was pivotal in
Jonas Vingegaard’s yellow jersey victories. Yet here, on Italian soil, his
support role was arguably even more critical.
The team’s cohesive strategy was evident throughout the
Giro. Heijboer praised not only Yates’ climbing but also the overall group
effort across different stages.
“Simon did a super good climb on the Finestre,” Heijboer
said, “but when you look at the Giro as a whole, I think as a team we really
brought him in every time into a good position and he profited a lot from our
other goals, like sprinting with Olav Kooij.”
He also acknowledged the mix of preparation and fortune that
helped keep the team in control throughout three unpredictable weeks. “We
couldn’t complain about the luck we had in the stage to Slovenia when a lot of
guys crashed, but it was the quality of our group as a team that kept us in
front.”